Double Vision: To the Darker Side of Me
by wintercandyapple
Summary: Nations from Hetalia have been transported to a war-torn alternate universe in which their counterparts are far more vicious and willing to kill. After getting caught up in another world's war, will they destroy themselves?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Do not own Hetalia!

Note: This is my first ever chapter on fanfiction and in general, so it's not a fluid as I'd like but I hope to improve. The idea if Dark Hetalia interests me but I also love how the characters in Hetalia can embody so much friendship, so I've combined the two. Contains the Axis, Allies, Prussia, Spain, Romano, and an OC. Hope you like it, and please comment! :)

* * *

Before being trapped in this strange world, she had forgotten what genuine fear felt like, but very recently, she had gotten her fair share of near-heart-attacks. Now, her heart pounded against her rib cage once more, and she shut her eyes tight, praying that he would not find her. She pressed her back against the cold, crumbly, cement wall, and then took a deep breath to try to slow her heart rate. Suddenly she heard footsteps coming down the hall, getting closer, and her eyes widened as she clamped her own hands on her mouth to suppress a startled gasp.

If he found her, it was all over. Or maybe it wasn't. The others were still alive…she hoped, but could not be sure. The footsteps were drawing nearer at an increased pace, and so she rested her head on the wall as well. She was going to die, but now she found herself accepting the thought. Soon her pursuer would be close enough to smell the mixture of sweat and blood coming from the wound he inflicted upon her.

Glancing down at her long, wavy, deep brown hair that was tangled and matted, she remembered the last time she had spent so much time perfecting it. It saddened her, and she reflected upon the last few days. How did things end up like this? The situation had gotten so complicated, the circumstances so dire. Without meaning to do so, her mind wandered to when the terrible things first started…

* * *

It was the day of the International Science Competition, held at America's place, since he was the one who challenged all the other nations into the contest to prove that he was the greatest country on Earth. Some of the nations, affronted at his arrogance, accepted the challenge, while other just participated for the heck of it.

Russia was there, wanting to prove his scientific excellence with a new model of a space ship. The German brothers, Germany and Prussia, teamed up to synthesize a whole new element and add it to the periodic table, while the Italian brothers claimed their exhibit of a new kind of garlic spice was science-y with Spain hanging around for moral support. China, Canada, and Britain were also present with their innovations, while France showed up "just to take a look."

Even Japan attended the competition, and he was kind enough to allow the Philippines to tag along even though she had nothing to contribute with such short notice. Only lately had she been actually getting to know the other nations from the West, since she'd much rather just socialize with her Asian neighbors sharing the Pacific with her. However, Japan and China convinced her that it was best not to isolate herself and to forget old grudges, saying that even Korea was having some good times with them.

So there she was, staying close to Japan and his invention, checking her compact mirror every so often to make sure her hair was still flawless. The two made small talk with other nations until finally, America burst into the wide room with that ridiculous haughty expression of his and Tony towing a machine covered in cloth behind him.

"Dudes! Get ready to totally have your asses kicked!" America announced loudly as his alien friend pulled away the cloth on cue. A large, metallic archway was revealed with a control panel attached to the side, random buttons blinking and beeping.

"You wanker! You can't have Tony build your exhibit using alien technology! That's not fair!" exclaimed Britain furiously while China and Canada nodded in agreement.

"HA suck it dude! You're just jelly that your imaginary friends can't be as great as Tony!" America replied and Tony gave a thumbs up. Germany rolled his eyes and Japan shook his head disapprovingly.

"Jelly?" France asked, letting exasperated confusion slip into his voice.

"Short for jealous, dude, get with the times," America laughed.

"Well what does it even do?" The Philippines threw out the question; the Westerners tended to give her a headache sometimes and she didn't want their arguing to turn it into a migraine.

"Well…Tony said that if you walk through the portal once it's activated, it takes you to a parallel universe! Cool, right?" America explained excitedly, the grin on his face growing wider. He began jumping up and down; obviously he had a soda or two before arriving.

"Those don't exist, _dummkopf_ ," Germany muttered, causing Prussia to laugh maniacally.

"They do to!" America insisted, "And I can prove it! Tony, do your thing!" Immediately the gray creature began pressing buttons on the keyboard, what seemed like at random, but nevertheless the machine sparked, then radiated a purplish-pinkish light that filled the archway.

"Now who's coming with me?" America looked expectantly at each nation with a half smile.

"I bet he's faking it, look at the bastard's face! It's just one of his fucking pranks," Romano said with a snide tone.

"Yeah he's trying to butcher my magic like he did with my language," Britain concurred stepping up to the archway to examine the glow. Italy also came to admire the luminescence of the portal.

"Ve~ it's so pretty though," he gushed, but Germany frowned.

"Don't get to close, Italy," he warned walking up behind him with Spain, Canada and China going to speculate.

"I want to get a closer look as well," the Philippines said to Japan, who gave a startled "Okay," as she grabbed his wrist and brought him with her. Then France and Romano followed as well, not wanting to be left out with Russia, but he too went up to the portal.

All the nations crammed together in front of the portal and began to lean on each other to get a closer look at the so-called transportation device. Russia, being at the back of the group put a little more weight on France ahead of him to see better, but France did not expect it. His knees buckled at the extra pressure, causing him to fall forward into everyone else. The nations closest to the portal, with nothing to fall forward into but the archway, were pushed directly into it, creating a chain reaction as the others tumbled in after them with great commotion.

The Philippines felt as if she had been sucked into a whirlpool that was tossing her around, forcing her to let go of Japan's wrist. She screamed with nothing else to grab onto, seeing nothing but bright light around her, but still heard the others' screams. And then all at once the noise stopped and after a brief moment, it seemed as if the portal spit her out and she hit the floor dizzily.

When she sat up, she looked around and noticed she was now in a bedroom that was poorly furnished with a simple bed and a table littered with maps and…a girl standing in the door way with her hand still on the knob like she was about to leave. The other girl had a stunned expression on her face, and the Philippines could see why. She looked _exactly_ like the other girl. Same golden brown eyes, same tan skin, same body stature. Although, the other girl had her deep brown hair tied back into a tight ponytail and she was wearing an army uniform with a general's hat.

"What the _hell_?" her look-alike uttered out after recovering from her shock. The Philippines, however, was still speechless.

"How did you get in here? You-you look like me!" the other girl stammered. Then her eyes grew big from realization. "You're an imposter! A spy! Sent here by that magical motherfucker, yeah that's it! He used his magic to send you here and replace me so that you can cause my house turmoil!" With each word, the other girl's voice grew angrier and more hateful. The look in her eyes changed from confusion to deep loathing…and murderous.

The Philippines shook her head violently, putting her hands up to show that she meant no harm whatsoever. "No, I-I don't…I don't know how I got here! This…this is crazy…" She had no clue what she was doing, and she knew she wasn't supposed to be here. "America's machine…must've worked…" she said softly to herself.

"What was that?" the other girl demanded, stamping her foot. "And cut the crap! Or things will end badly for you." Her threat sounded frightfully real.

"I-I'm from another universe! Another dimension!" The words tumbled out her mouth without any thought. _Great, now she'll think I'm a liar and crazy._ The girl stared at her with a puzzled look, but then took this into consideration.

"Well…we do look exceedingly similar…identical actually…is it possible that you're the Philippines from another dimension?" As the girl thought out loud, the Philippines nodded.

"Yes! So you're the Philippines from this world? Wait, you believe me?"

The other girl looked at her skeptically, and then began to nod slowly. "Maybe. Japan once gave a presentation about parallel dimensions at a world conference, but was ridiculed for it…"

"He did? Did you believe him?" So this world also had a Japan, so it probably mirrored the countries from her Earth as well. _This is so weird! Don't freak out! Just stay calm! That's what Japan would do, right?_

"I considered it, I guess, but…" the other girl glanced at the Philippines thoughtfully. "He told us how to prove if someone was really from another dimension."

The Philippines looked up hopefully, knowing she would be proven right if the information was correct. But then her face swiftly changed to instant terror as the other girl—the other Philippines—trained a gun on her forehead. There was no hesitation or waver in her hand as she pulled the trigger.

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Thanks for your time! Please comment, I could use the encouragement and tips. Constructive critism is appreciated! This chapter was short but my next ones will be longer (if people like them of course), so tell me what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Do not own Hetalia!

Note: So this is chapter 2! It's a bit confusing I know, but I clear everything up by the end of this chapter, so enjoy and pretty please with a cherry on top review!

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At the sound of the gunshot, the Philippines expected an explosion of pain to erupt from her forehead and winced, but it did not come. As she opened her eyes tentatively, she saw her counterpart lower the gun and smirk. When she looked behind her, she saw that the bullet had left a crater in the wall, and finally processed that the bullet had passed _through_ her completely. Once again, she found herself utterly speechless.

"Japan claimed in his presentation that two counterparts from different dimensions cannot touch or harm each other because of some universal law that we cannot screw with time and space or whatever," the other version of herself explained to the Philippines. Then she grinned and began pacing back and forth. "He's going to be overjoyed when he realizes that you exist! He'll know that he was right all along. The fact that you popped in next to me proves his theory that two counterparts are drawn to each other when in the same dimension."

The Philippines blinked, and then shook her head, still overwhelmed by the intake of all this information. "Well," she started, "If that's true, then he already knows he's correct, because Japan from my world is here with him." Now it was the other girl's turn to be in shock again.

"Really? That's great! Then we should go to his house at once," the other Philippines said, heading towards the door. Still getting over her initial feeling of disbelief and terror of being shot at, the Philippines picked herself off the floor and followed the other version of herself. Halfway through the door, the other girl stopped.

"I just remembered what I was about to do before you came…" she frowned and furrowed her brows. "This—this is a bad time for you to drop in. My Earth is about to plunge into World War III."

"What? H-how?" she stammered, even more information crammed into her head. She was still in the process of collecting her thoughts. The other nations from her world must be with their counterparts and must be safe if counterparts could not harm each other. That much was certain. But now a big war?

"Yes, you see, Japan and I are still neutral, and so are Spain and Italy. I guess it started when Canada's economy collapsed a few months ago. His government fell into anarchy, and before anyone noticed enough to do anything, America had annexed him."

"What?" Now this she could not believe. The North American brothers were so tight; America would never do that…

"It's true. Everyone else was shocked as well. There was a world meeting shortly afterwards, and Britain was especially angry. I think he was so mad because he didn't get a share in the piece of land. Russia was upset because now America is a massive country. I'm not completely sure what happened next. China got involved in the heated argument and then Russia got so mad he began insulting his Asian neighbors. Then the whole room went crazy. Britain declared war on America, and Russia, who's had his eye on China for a while now, declared war on China. So America and China teamed up while Russia and Britain did, too."

"No way…" the Philippines trailed off. This world was already experiencing WWIII. Is this how it was going to play out on her world, too?

"I know, I don't want to fight in another war, but I'll fight alongside Japan," her counterpart said, mostly to herself, the Philippines observed. In this way they were alike; she thought that she would also fight with Japan if another war came up.

"Well, earlier this week France joined America's side and the German brothers agreed to fight with Russia and Britain."

"So," the Philippines said, a new, scarier thought coming to mind, "Who has the most nukes?" The weapons that had the power to wipe out the human race. She wished they had never been created.

"Nukes? What are those?" The other girl inquired curiously.

"Wait, this world doesn't have nuclear warheads?" The Philippines asked, since the other girl's face was sincerely inquisitive. The other version of herself shook her head. "Oh…forget I said anything." She was not about to lead to the creation of another deadly weapon on this Earth.

"Okay. Our next move is to go to Japan's place, then. But first, you need to change into a uniform. Your white blouse and maroon skirt will never do at his house."

* * *

Meanwhile, across the Pacific Ocean, France, China, and America were spit out of the portal and onto the plush, carpeted floor of a conference room. The three of them groaned and got off each other, but when they looked up, they saw three figures sitting at the table gaping at them. Then they, too, dropped their jaws at the sight of three men that were mirror images of themselves.

"Whoa…guys, do you see what I see?" whispered the one that was identical to America. The corresponding China and France nodded mouths still wide open.

"America…" China said softly with a frightened look in his eyes, "I think your machine worked." He simply nodded back, still staring at the other version of himself. If his portal actually worked, then that was this dimension's America staring into his own eyes.

"What—how—why are you here? And how do you look so much like me?" cried the other Chinese man as he pointed an accusing finger at China.

"_Oh mon Dieu! _They're frauds sent to carry out a _coup_ _d'etat_!" the other French man shouted and reached for his sword that hung from his belt.

"No! We come from—we—I am not an _ennemi_!" France said frantically as his counterpart advanced towards him. He instinctively blocked his face with his hands as his counterpart lashed out with his sword, intending to decapitate him.

"NO!" cried America, who finally found his voice again. However, the sword sliced right through him, as if France were a ghost, and he was unharmed. The other France staggered back, dropping his sword, which clanged on the carpet. The other Chinese man, who still sat at the table, stood up as he made a connection to Japan's previous presentation.

"They're…not from this Earth…are you?" he said reluctantly, struggling to remember Japan's words that he had laughed at. By now, America's counterpart had his pistol at hand, and America held his hands over head to show he meant no harm.

"That's right! We're from another dimension! Another Earth!" America said rapidly before anyone else could do something rash. Then he turned towards his counterpart, who slowly put away his weapon. "So you're this world's version of me? Cool!" He lowered his hands and came face-to-face with his other self.

The other China slumped back into his chair and sighed. "I guess this means Japan was right that whole time, aru." China got up off the floor and smoothed out his clothes.

"So you know about parallel universe, then?" he asked his "twin," who nodded.

"Yes, Japan talked about it once. So he was right about counterparts not being able to harm each other, and then being attracted to each other."

"Huh. So does that mean I'm, like, totally invincible then?" America asked excitedly. The other China shook his head.

"No. Only to your direct counterpart. I could still kill you if I wanted." America's face fell a little, but he began to converse with his other self, and the two hit it right off.

The other France smiled apologetically and offered his hand to help France up, who still had his own hands around his neck to make sure his head was 100% attached to his body. "I can't believe I almost killed myself," he said, half-smiling. But then he frowned again, and turned away, so France got up by himself.

"You all sure picked a grand time to hop dimensions. We are in the middle of discussing our war," he said, shaking his head.

"What war?" America asked as he took a seat next to his other self, who pursed his lips.

"The war that started with the collapse of Canada," other-dimension-France said bitterly.

"What happened to my parallel-universe bro?" America pressed, frowning at his counterpart.

"I've annexed him," he answered heavily, his shoulders slumping. America gawked at him, but could not find words to express his mixed feelings. He could never picture himself overtaking Canada; sure, his brother was a pushover, but he loved him all the same. Besides, didn't he stand for liberty and freedom?

"His economy and government fell!" explained the other America frenetically, "He—he came to my house all beat up and sick, asking me to help him, or he was going to die. The only thing I could do was annex him! I couldn't support him enough if we weren't one…he's in my care now." Finally, America closed his mouth and offered up a small smile.

"I think you did the right thing, man," America consoled. The others gave their agreement as well. Then other China began to describe the events following the annexation and how each country was aligned in the war. He had just finished explaining which countries remained neutral when an American official burst in.

"America!" He said catching his breath, "Japan has invited all the nations with "counterparts" to have a temporary cease-fire and attend a conference at his house. He says it's urgent and of upmost importance and wishes everyone to be there A.S.A.P.!"

* * *

Surprisingly, the leather suit that the other girl called a "uniform" was easy to move in and comfortable. While the Philippines thought it was very tight-fit and a bit scandalous, she actually liked the way it hugged her body. Her slender form was complimented graciously by the suit much more than her blouse. She also received a military cap, but did not pull her hair back into a ponytail. "That way they can tell who's who," she had explained.

When the two Filipinos entered Japan's conference room after the long flight, they found two Japanese men waiting for them at the end of the long table. However, she could tell which one was her Japan, for he wore his signature white uniform while the other wore a black one. The Philippines found herself releasing a sigh of relief. She had been afraid that Japan would not be here and that she would be all alone in this dilemma. But she met his eyes and subconsciously put on a huge smile.

"Japan!" she squealed in spite of herself, ran to him, and wrapped him in a bear hug. Soon his moment of surprise passed, and he hugged her back. However, the other Philippines and Japan were astonished, and the other girl's face flushed.

"What do you think you're doing hugging him?" the other Philippines whispered angrily. The other Japan just blinked and threw her Japan a questioning look once they had broken the embrace.

"Um, he's my friend?" the Philippines responded, thrown off by her anger.

"I—I would never hug my superior…and he would never hug his subordinate," the other girl said in a low voice, irritated.

"_Subordinate_?" the Philippines repeated in incredulity, "No, I'm his friend!" The other girl opened her mouth to retort, but just then the nations started to file in through the door, but were forced to hand over any weapons. The Philippines was happy to see familiar faces with their counterparts as they took their seats. Everyone seemed unharmed and relieved as well.

"Wow, I'm seeing double," Spain said to no one in particular as he made his way to a chair with his other self.

As Prussia and his counterpart went to take their seats, the other Japan stopped the other Prussia and held out his hand knowingly.

"Kesesese, you're good at this Japan. You know me too well," the other Prussia laughed as pulled a hidden knife from his boot and placed it in the other Japan's hand. He gave him a curt nod and returned to stand at the end of the table and cleared his throat.

"Konichiwa, I trust that everyone here is up-to-date about the events in this war, and with how the parallel dimensions work." He waited for everyone to signal that they did, and then continued. "I'll get straight to the point. I called you all here to ask you all to stop the war temporarily in order to send our counterparts home." Immediately his suggestion was met with resistance.

"No! We cannot simple halt the war just because of this little complication," the other Britain said hotly. He crossed his arms over his chest to make his point.

"I agree—we won't be able to forget our…intense disagreements and work together sending them home. It won't happen," pointed out the other Russia. He was glaring in the Americas' direction, obviously fuming over their "intense disagreement." Murmurs rippled through the nations but quickly died away.

The other Japan sighed. "Well, since I'm still neutral, why don't the counterparts stay at my place? As you know, I've studied parallel dimensions so I might be able to send them back given time."

"No," the American counterpart objected, "We all know that you won't have enough time because you can't stay neutral in this war. Even you know you're a key player." The Philippines was astounded by this observation; the other America could actually read the atmosphere!

Then her America piped up, "What about Tony? He made a machine that sent us here, so maybe he can send us back!" But his counterpart just laughed darkly, as if he heard something ironic, and shivers were sent down the Philippines' spine.

"Tony left this Earth because he didn't want to stay on a war-torn planet. So that's out of the question." There was an eerie silence, and for a moment everyone fell into deep thought.

"First things first," the other Spain said, breaking the quietness. "I think we really need a way to distinguish each other from their counterparts, 'cause it's just too confusing!"

"We can just use our human names!" her Italy suggested cheerfully. She was surprised he had not spoken sooner since he was normally very talkative; Romano probably told him not to say anything.

"You guys have human names?" the other America inquired, mildly surprised. Italy, or now Feliciano, smiled and nodded.

"Well, we don't," the other China said matter-of-factly, "And even if we did, none of us would actually make an effort to remember the others' names, aru."

"So it's settled then," the other Japan said, "The nations from the other dimension will go by their human names and we will go by our country's names." But the Philippines did not agree to that in her head. After close examination of the other dimension-ers, she could not bring herself to call them by what she would call those from her Earth. These nations were much more enigmatic and cryptic than they were. She noted how the conference was so different from those on her Earth. Here, things were serious, and things actually got done. A heavy, grave feeling seemed to hang over the whole room, affecting everybody. No, these nations were not the same as her friends. While she would call her friends by their human names, she would refer, in her head, to the others as the Dark Nations.

This revelation scared the Philippines, in truth. While everyone was saying their human names, she intently analyzed the nations from this dimension. The Dark Nations did not smile, nor joke, nor attempt to lighten the mood. They clearly meant business, and only cared for the sake of their country, rather than the good of everybody. Then, it was her turn to give her name.

"Maria de la Cruz," she announced with pride. That's when she noticed the intense red eyes staring at her. The Philippines compared Dark Prussia to Gilbert, who sat on his right. While Gilbert's red eyes were attractive and stunning to look at, Dark Prussia's eyes reminded her of blood. He straightened up when he caught her staring back.

"Maria de la Cruz," he repeated softly, "How…exotic." Then Dark Prussia flashed his sharp teeth in a grin that was almost…sinister…

Maria, unsure of what to do next, smiled back nervously at Dark Prussia, who chuckled silently to himself. Canada was the last to give his human name.

"Mathew Williams," he said half-heartedly. _Strange_, Maria thought; she had not noticed him before, or the fact that Mathew had come without his counterpart. _Right, Dark America annexed Dark Canada._ Judging by the looks on everyone's faces, they were just noticing him as well.

Dark Russia sneered. "Mathew, why are you sitting next to the idiots who invaded Canada's home? You should be siding with me and Britain! They betrayed your nation, remember?" His condemning glower settled on Dark America and on Alfred. Mathew however, flushed, but did not budge. Instead, he looked down at the table and said nothing.

Dark America stood up crossly. "You shut up! You don't know what you're talking about! Even if you were right, you wouldn't care about Canada! You just want him for yourself, filthy communist!" he shouted. Alfred stood up on his left and tried to put a hand on his counterpart's shoulder, but his hand passed right though his body, so Dark America did not feel the gesture. Now Dark Britain was infuriated.

"Hypocritical git! Don't forget that you just annexed your brother while he was weak. You just jumped at the first opportunity to expand your "democratic influence." Dark Britain also arose from his seat, making everyone else uncomfortable.

Dark China laughed forebodingly. "You're all hypocrites, Britain. I still haven't forgotten those years you took Hong Kong away from me." Maria could almost feel the bitterness in his voice.

"Ha," Britain retorted with his nose in the air, "I made him a better place. I raised him ten times better than you ever could! My being a proper European and all." Dark China became aghast and Dark Britain's lips curled into a sneer, knowing he had hit a sensitive nerve.

"Hey!" This time Wang rose to his feet to defend his counterpart. "You can't talk about him—us—like that! Watch you what you say!"

"Do you remember the Opium Wars?" Dark Britain taunted, "_You'd_ better watch _yourself_…unless you want to be totally crushed again!" The Chinas were left flustered, with their cheeks reddening.

"Da," Dark Russia smirked, still looking at Dark America, "We will annihilate anyone who opposes us! You might as well hand over Canada now. Or else your sad, weak little capitalist democracy will be in shambles." His verbal slap seemed to snap something inside Dark America, and Maria shifted in her seat anxiously, guessing what was about to happen.

"I'll destroy you before that can happen!" Dark America snarled and lunged over the table to strangle Dark Russia.

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From the Author: This chapter didn't really flow as well as I'd hope but I had to put in a lot of background for the War, which was a little hazy. This is also on my dA account with some cool previews coming up hopefully! So please review and maybe even give me a couple of tips! Also, I'd like to know which characters are ppl's favs so I can include them a little more.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Do not own Hetalia.

Note: This chapter is longer than the previous ones, for better or worse, but I put a good amount of thought into it, so I hope it's fast-paced and interesting still! Enjoy!

* * *

Maria gasped when Dark America pounced on Dark Russia, but she knew he could hold his own. The two world powers tumbled to the ground and began to wrestle. Both were incredibly strong; Dark Russia was big and scary enough by himself, and extra strength was given to Dark America from his annexation of Dark Canada. Their faces displayed rage and hatred as they fought on the ground, and the room erupted into chaos.

Dark China, who was extremely offended by Dark Britain's chauvinistic remarks, tackled the British man, and the two crashed onto the floor. The other nations left their seats and moved away from the brawls, some of them cheering them on, while others watched in aversion. Apprehensively, Maria backed up against the wall between her counterpart and Kiku. Dark Japan, aggravated, was rubbing his fingers on his temples with creases on his forehead.

Alfred attempted to pull Dark Russia off of his own counterpart, but Ivan grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the melees. "Hey!" he shouted as Ivan dragged him towards the wall.

"Two against one isn't fair," Ivan murmured, "Let those two fight their fight." Then he smiled to himself. "I'm sure Russia will win anyway. We are the greatest in the whole entire world."

"The other me was right!" Alfred seethed, "You filthy communists only care about yourselves!" He broke Ivan's grip and shoved him into the wall with considerable force. The Russian blinked, then his tone went threateningly low and his eyes narrowed.

"Do you think you can stand a chance against the great and powerful Russia?" Ivan said through grinding teeth. Alfred took a step back uneasily, but then balled his hands into fists. Thoughtlessly, he threw a punch at Ivan, who caught it in his own hand. While his right fist was stuck in his opponent's hand, Alfred swung his other fist, which was again caught by Ivan's free hand. The two stayed in that position for a moment, pushing into each other in a vigorous stalemate.

On the other side of the room, Yao was yelling at Arthur furiously. "Tell your bigheaded counterpart to get off China!"

"You go do it," Arthur replied callously and leaned against the wall distractedly. To Maria, he seemed to be thinking about something serious, but to Yao, he was just being apathetic.

"But it's your counterpart who started it," the Chinese man went on, "How dare he say all those obnoxious things about us!" Arthur just scoffed and crossed his arms.

"It's not like it wasn't the truth; I agree with everything he said. He is me, after all."

Yao's eyes widened and his jaw fell open. "You arrogant bastard! I hope you lose miserably in this war, you disgusting drug dealer!" Arthur straightened up, slighted by the outburst.

"I am not one of those low-life drug dealers!" He exclaimed and stamped his foot on the ground.

"Then who else shipped all that opium crap illegally into my borders?" Then Yao and Arthur began shouting in each other's faces, on the verge of an affray.

Feliciano stood watching the duels in the corner of the room with his counterpart. He did not like to see his fellow nations fight and argue; they bickered all the time, but they rarely got this severe. Why couldn't everyone just get along like he and Ludwig did? Thinking about his friend, he searched the room for the blonde that had protected him for so long. When he saw that Ludwig stood against the wall opposite his, he began to make his way there while carefully avoiding the brawls.

"Ve~ Ludwig!" he called happily as he tapped the German, who turned and gave a small smile when he saw his old friend.

"Oh, hey, Feli," Ludwig greeted in his heavy accent, then sighed, "I can't believe they're actually fighting in Japan's house." Feliciano frowned and nodded. His curl seemed to droop a little as he talked.

"I know, why are the other versions of us so mean? Even that Italy doesn't really laugh or make a lot of pasta!" He threw his hands up in exasperation, and then pouted to his friend. "I just want to go home already. I don't wanna stay for another war!"

Ludwig glanced at Dark America and Dark Russia, who were having a slug fest on the carpet. "I agree. This vorld…it gives me a bad feeling. Nein! Ve cannot stay here."

The Italian was about to ask how they were going to leave, when Dark Italy came and nudged his side. "Feliciano! What are you doing? Let's move, now." His voice seemed urgent as he tugged on Feliciano's arm.

"Why?" he asked as he pulled his arm free. However, Dark Italy just paled and gulped, staring past Feliciano. When he turned around, he found Dark Germany and Dark Prussia standing on either side of Ludwig. Their angry, intimidating stares bore down upon the Italians as they spoke.

"Ludwig," Dark Germany said, not taking his eyes off the Italies, "Why are you talking to these weaklings?"

Ludwig, taken aback, stammered, "Vhat?" Dark Germany raised an eyebrow.

"Don't you remember that this coward is the reason vhy ve lost Vorld Var II?" He jabbed a finger at Dark Italy, whose eyes seemed to shrink at the sight of the German.

"I-I'm not a coward! It wasn't my fault!" he cried, but his whole body appeared as if it were shaking. Feliciano could not fathom why Dark Germany was being so…wicked; Ludwig had never spoken to him like that before. As Dark Germany's face contorted in fury, Feliciano took a step back, resisting the instinct to hide behind Ludwig because he stood next to the tormentors.

"Of course it vas your fault! You surrendered to the damn Allies and they vere able to penetrate my borders! Your complete failure in Africa cost me the battle on the Russian front!" Dark Germany growled wrathfully and seized Dark Italy by the collar of his blue uniform. The sudden movement in his direction caused Feliciano to recoil impulsively and he fell on his bottom. Crying out, Dark Italy was lifted a few inches off the floor, legs dangling, as Dark Germany cocked his arm back as if he were about to strike him.

Still on the ground, Feliciano was petrified with fear. The Germany he knew could never be this terrorizing, yet here it was, with same voice and same appearance as Ludwig. Another version of his best friend was about to beat another version of himself—how can it be? The look on Dark Germany's face was absolutely terrifying, the scariest and angriest Feliciano had ever seen.

"Hey! Get your fucking hands off my brother!" demanded Dark Romano as he rushed to his own Veneziano's aide with Antonio, Lovino, and Dark Spain following right behind him hurriedly. Before he could reach his brother, who was still being held in the air, Dark Prussia stepped in his way.

"Kesesese, or what?" he jeered, "You'll go run and cower behind Spain like you always do? You're just as helpless and pathetic."

Clenching his fist, Dark Romano shouted, "No! Not this time, you bastard!" With his last word, he struck Dark Prussia's left cheek, the sound of the blow causing everyone else to stop their fighting, even Dark America and Russia. For a moment, there was an ominous stillness; Dark Prussia touched his fingers to feel his cheek. Then, he lowered his hand and his lips morphed into a disturbing smile.

"Didn't even draw any blood," he murmured. Abruptly, with amazing speed and accuracy, the red-eyed man caught Dark Romano across his jaw, the force of the punch slamming him to the floor.

"Romano!" Dark Italy cried in a shrill voice. His captor snickered, and then threw him against the wall with a distinct thud.

When the Dark Romano looked up at the sound of his brother hitting the wall, blood trickled from his lips and he could not move his mouth without moaning in agony. Dark Spain became an explosion of conniption and hostility as he turned to Dark Prussia.

"_Monstruo_! I won't let you get away with that!" he roared. Holding nothing back, he charged into the albino, and the two began to beat each other mercilessly. Within seconds, however, the Dark Philippines and Dark Japan pulled them off of each other and held them back.

"Enough," Dark Japan ordered, "This meeting is over. Please leave immediately." The Spanish man stopped thrashing and helped Dark Romano on his feet.

"That's the last straw," Dark Spain announced. "We are joining America's cause in this war." While he said this, his glare never left Dark Prussia. _So_, Maria thought, _they would settle this on the battlefield_. "Right, Romano? Italy?" The Italians nodded sternly, and as Dark Spain left the room, they followed him out. Antonio beckoned Lovino, who grabbed Feliciano's wrist.

Before going with his brother, Feliciano caught Ludwig's eyes. It was not a positive goodbye expression in the Feliciano's face though; Ludwig was dismayed to see that the look of fear was directed at him. Without another word, the three headed out the door after their counterparts.

The look on Dark Japan's face was dead serious, so the other nations began to file out with their counterparts as well, knowing they would get another chance at their enemies in battle. But then, Dark Russia and Britain stayed back with Dark Japan while Dark Germany and Dark Prussia lingered at the door.

"Can I help you?" Dark Japan said finally. Maria could tell he was hoping they would leave, but realized they wanted something from him.

"Japan," Dark Russia said, "We want you to join us in this Great War." Dark Britain nodded while the Dark German brothers watched from the doorway. Maria held her breath, not wanting to get anymore involved, and hoped he would decline, while her counterpart bit her lip.

"And why should I do that?" Dark Japan ventured skeptically, "If I do recall, you were insulting the Asian countries."

"Well, while that is true, I know you're different from the rest of them. You've always been more…defined. You're better than your neighbors. More powerful indeed. This war is already looking in my favor, Japan. My strongest opponent is America, but besides him, the rest won't be able to hold out for too long. With you on my side, we'll be unstoppable! Think about it. I'm willing to make concessions for your alliance. You might as well join the winning side." This Russia was persuasive, Maria had to give him credit, but she wished with all her heart that Dark Japan would decide to stay out of this war.

For a while Dark Japan remained silent, toying with the possibilities and the odds of his choices. At last, he answered. "…Hai. I will fight with you, Russia." Maria hung her head. Now there would be no one to send them back home if Dark Japan was going to be occupied by a war.

"I will fight along with Japan," the Dark Philippines affirmed without hesitation. Dark Russia nodded good-naturedly.

"Thank you," he said formally, "If we could just sign a treaty, then its official. Together, victory is ours." Dark Japan nodded and the two shook hands.

Maria could not take it anymore—she was so frustrated with everyone for forgetting why the meeting had actually been called, for disregarding the fact that she and her friends were stranded in another dimension. "What about us?" she burst out and her counterpart threw a scolding look her way. Startled, Dark Japan and Russia exchanged a silent understanding before Japan spoke.

"I'm sorry you all had to be caught in the middle of this," he addressed the dimension hoppers, "But since I have now entered the war, it looks like you have a choice: find a safe house until the war is over, or join our cause and fight with us."

Once again, Maria was without words, and Kiku, Gilbert, and Ludwig had a similar reaction. It never occurred to her that she would have to fight in this dimension. Could she even survive another war? Especially in this world, where the nations were cold and lethal.

"What? No, this isn't our war!" Maria finally sputtered out. "We have no reason to fight; this war is stupid anyways." Then she had an idea. "What about Switzerland? He's always neutral, so he can take us in, right?" she asked hopefully. However, her question was answered with a poignant look from Dark Japan.

"Switzerland…is dead," he told her solemnly. Maria gawked at him, taking in the meaning of his words, unable to comprehend them completely. Dead? How could this be? The room was once again filled with a grave silence. After a few moments, Dark Japan spoke.

"Well, we'll let you all decide for yourselves while we sign the paperwork, but I suggest that you join us," he told them shortly before leaving the room with Dark Russia, Britain, Philippines, Germany and Prussia, the last of which winked in her direction as he left. Biting her lip, Maria tried to decipher the simple but strange gesture as she turned to those from her Earth.

"Tell me you don't want to get mixed up in this mess," she exasperated searching the others' faces. Arthur refused to meet eye contact and Ivan's were unreadable while Ludwig seemed troubled by another matter. Not even Kiku offered his consent.

"I think," Arthur started, still staring at the ground, "that we should join them."

"But why?" Maria exclaimed in bewilderment.

"It's hard to explain, but I understand my counterpart's intentions," the British man reasoned. "He needs this war or he won't be able to compete with the other nations."

"So how is that our problem?" Desperation was plain in her voice as she tried to dissuade Arthur.

"I can sympathize! I can't just leave him when he needs my help," he continued.

"Da, I agree with Arthur," Ivan concurred, his mind already made up, "I want to join them."

"No!" Maria was losing her temper. Was she the only one that understood how terrible the consequences could be by entering a war? "Kiku? You agree with me, right?"

He was silent for a moment, then answered slowly, "I…I think I will fight with my counterpart-"

"You can't!" she exclaimed hysterically. Kiku tried to explain, but Maria would not hear it, her anger getting the better of her. As she turned away from the rest of fellow nations in frustration, she saw Dark Prussia watching from the doorway of the conference room. When he met her eyes, he beckoned her over. The others were still discussing their reasoning for joining the war, so she went to him unnoticed. Normally, she would have stayed away from the creepy red-eyed man, but she was so fed up with the reckless decisions the others were making that she was not thinking straight.

Dark Prussia greeted her with a toothy grin. "Looks like I'm going to get some new allies," he said. Maria shook her head and grinded her teeth.

"What do you want?"

"I just wanted to say that you should fight with me," he replied indifferently as he leaned against the door frame.

"Why do you want _me_?" Maria definitely did not look like a fierce warrior, so she did not have the slightest clue as to why he would want her on his side.

"Look, I like you," he began with the same insouciance. "You're a much better version than my Philippines. All she does is tend to Japan's every whim. It's like she doesn't have a mind of her own. But you're different. I can see that you don't have a problem speaking your mind. I like your spunk, so I want to make you a deal."

"A deal?" she asked doubtfully. The way he said it make her suspicious.

"Yeah. If you agree to fight with me and my brother in this war, I'll give you some excellent training." Maria stared at him distrustfully, not being able to tell what his motive could be.

"I'm not much of a fighter…"

Dark Prussia smirked. "Well, I can change that. You'll be learning from the best. I'm good at what I do. After my training, you'll see why being bloodthirsty can be so…fun." Maria did not like that last part, but she considered his offer. The situation did seem to call for drastic measures…

* * *

Right after Japan closed the meeting and made them leave the room, Dark America called for his own conference right away at his place. All the nations on his side met in America straight from Japan and immediately came to his conference room even after the long flight. Now they were all seated, still livid at the recent events, with their counterparts.

"All right, let's get down to business," Dark America started, "We all need to get in shape for the battles to come. The nations against us are pretty strong themselves, but if we work together, under my heroic leadership, we can defeat them!" The Dark nations in the room nodded with dangerous looks on their faces. The counterparts, however became anxious.

"Well, what are we going to do?" Matthew asked timidly.

"You counterparts," Dark America answered, "Can fight with us! Did you see the way they treated us? They deserve to be crushed, and we could use your help!"

"But, I wanna go home," Feliciano pouted. This war talk made him nervous and fearful. In his last big war, WWII, he only managed to hold out because Ludwig had been there for him every time. Now Germany was against Italy in this war.

"Go home?" Dark China repeated, "You can't go home because I've just receive news that Japan has joined Russia's side." He slammed his fist on the table in rage.

Dark America nodded gravely. "Yeah, now that he's the enemy, we can't send you home. We need you guys to fight with us; if we can win the war and take Japan's country, we can force him to build a dimension-hopping machine or use his research to do it ourselves."

"Okay, I'm in," Yao stood up. "I can't believe those assholes said all those things. I can't let that slide."

"Yao…" Feliciano said in disbelief.

"Me too," Alfred made a fist in the air. "Those Russian mofos will get what's been coming for them for a long time now." His brawl with Ivan was still replaying itself in his head.

"Great. How about you guys?" Dark Spain asked his counterpart and Lovino, both of whom nodded after seeing the wickedness of the Dark German brothers. Francis also agreed to fight, shaking hands with his counterpart.

"I'll support you guys, but I won't go to battle," Matthew announced quietly. Dark America gave his approval.

"That's fine. You don't have to fight. You can keep your counterpart company in the infirmary."

Feliciano was in shock. His friends were making ready for ugly warfare, in a world that was not even theirs. If Ludwig sided with his counterpart, he was in deep trouble. He had relied on his best friend so much, there was no way he could survive a war without him.

* * *

Back in the Japanese conference room doorway, Maria was still thinking about the offer Dark Prussia made her. While he was tolerantly waiting for her to make up her mind, he received a call and had a short conversation with the person on the other end.

When he ended the call, he informed Maria, "I've have just receive notice that the counterparts of the nations fighting with America have decided to enter the war as our opponents."

"They have?" Maria could not believe how senseless her friends were being.

"Yes, Hungary just told me over the phone. She's my spy on their side, you know." Dark Hungary was his spy? Maria gave him a questioning look. "Yeah, she's in love with me, but she's only pretending to be in love with that piano-playing loser Austria so her cover isn't blown. He's on America's side, so no one's going to question her loyalty over there." He sneered at his own genius, but Maria was disgusted. On her Earth, Hungary really did love Austria and the two made the cutest couple. Then she thought about Switzerland again.

"How exactly did Switzerland die?"

Dark Prussia laughed and Maria's throat went dry. How could he laugh at the death of a fellow nation? "His neutrality during Word War II didn't fly with us. He was shooting planes on both sides, so I did everyone a favor and exterminated the problem. Liechtenstein now resides in my house."

Maria's heart felt as if it was being squeezed and her chest tightened. She was dealing with a cold-blooded murder that was willing to destroy another nation. He was a treacherous monster like Dark Spain had said. But her face did not betray her as she hid her fears from him. If her friends were going to fight in this war, she had no choice but to join as well. She promised herself right then that she would fight to protect her friends, to make sure they _all_ got home safe and sound. She would protect them from this monster and the other Dark Nations. Determined that they would all return alive, she decided she would go along with Dark Prussia's offer as a cover, but secretly fight for her own cause.

Maria did not break eye contact as she said, "It's a deal. I'll fight with you as long as you train me to be a warrior." The two shook hands and Dark Prussia gave her that sinister smile again.

"I'll teach you the real art of war."

* * *

From the Author: Hope it was fun to read! Can you see the plot unfolding? This is where the story gets going :) So pretty please review! I'd like to hear your guys' thoughts!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Do not own hetalia!

Note: This chapter is different from the others in a sense, and when you read it you'll see why. Sorry, but I must warn you there is implies violence in this one! I put more thought into this one because I had a lot of time this week, so I hope you like it!

* * *

"Okay, guys," Alfred announced while he, his friends and their counterparts were signing the treaties that bound them together in the war, "We need a cool team name!"

"You're right," agreed Dark America. "We can't just be the Allies again. That name's getting old."

"Yeah…" Dark China said thoughtfully. "How about the Vertex Union? The vertex usually signifies the peak or summit of an ideation, aru."

"And we're the ones who are going to come out on top! I like it," Dark America approved cheerfully.

Feliciano was the last in line to sign the treaty. When he grasped the pen, he hesitated, dismayed at the notion of going to battle without his best friend on his side. The more he thought about it, the closer he came to dropping the pen. However, the treaty stated that if they won the war, they promised to send all the dimension-hoppers back home. If both Ludwig and Feliciano survived, they could return to the way things used to be. With the image in mind, Feliciano signed his name.

On the other side of the conference room, Matthew stood in the corner, assuming he would go unnoticed, pondering his position in the war. To his surprise, Antonio ambled over to him, smiling warmly.

"_Oye_, everything all right?" he asked politely. "What's with that serious look on your face?

"Oh, nothing," Matthew replied, "Just thinking about the other me down the street in America's infirmary."

"How is he?" Antonio inquired, genuinely concerned.

"He's recovering. When I first came out of the portal, he was in terrible condition. He told me about what happened to his nation…" he left off, remembering his first encounter with his counterpart. Dark Canada had also revealed how guilty he felt since the war was practically his fault, as he put it. But Matthew decided not to mention that. "Ever since America took him in, he's been getting better."

"That's good. Well, the others are about to go over battle strategies, so you should at least come listen," Antonio suggested, and the two went to go take their seats.

* * *

When Maria returned to Arthur, Kiku, Ivan, Ludwig and Gilbert, the British man was trying to persuade the German brothers to join them in the war.

"Vell…if the rest of you fight, then I'll join," Ludwig muttered. She could understand his reluctance; Feliciano would be considered his enemy, and he was not sure how to go about that.

"I'm with my brother," Gilbert said, putting a hand on the blonde's shoulder.

"Everyone here is fighting, except for..." Arthur glanced down at Maria, who huffed indignantly.

"I'm in," Maria declared, adding swank to her voice. Kiku blinked, wondering how she changed her mind so easily, but Arthur beamed.

"So that's all of us," he said to the Ludwig, who sighed, then agreed to participate in the war with Gilbert. Then, with coincidental timing, their Dark counterparts entered the room, Dark Japan carrying the treaty in his hands gingerly. He set it on the table and glanced expectantly at the other dimensioners.

"Da," Ivan answered for all of them, "We will join your cause."

"Splendid! Just sign there," Dark Britain pointed to the document. "Japan calls it the Genesis Treaty."

"Hai," Dark Japan nodded. "As in, we are the nations that are going to create a new dominion. When we win, we shall forge the genesis of a new era." Maria had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. Even her Japan was big on the vague, deep meanings of words and names. As they each took a turn to sign the paper, she could almost feel Dark Prussia's eyes on her back up until the point where the pen scrawled the last cursive "z."

"It's been a long day. Why don't you all retire to the guest rooms and tomorrow we can go over our tactics," Dark Japan recommended, and no one disagreed, so he assigned each of them a room in the hotel across the street, sending a messenger to make sure the rooms were prepared.

"We'll meet here again tomorrow at 8 a.m. sharp," Dark Japan said, then the newly allied Genesis Powers departed the conference building, ready to make themselves at home in the hospitality of the Japanese hotel. As soon as she reached her room, Maria stripped off the tight leather uniform and changed into one of the plain sleeping robes the room came with. After that, she decided to head over to Kiku's room on the other end of the hall. While on her way, Dark Prussia exited one of the rooms lying ahead of her and shut the door quietly.

"I was just about to come see you," he said when he noticed her. "We should start training tomorrow first thing in the morning. There's a small open field a few minutes away from here and that would be the perfect place."

"Oh, what about the Genesis meeting? She asked. "Can we just miss it?"

Dark Prussia chuckled. "I don't need to go to meeting about tactics. My brother can handle the battle plans. Besides, they know I like to do my own thing. As long as you're training with me, Japan won't care that you're skipping."

"Okay, I'll be up at sunrise," she replied, and then she continued to Kiku's room as Dark Prussia went in the other direction. When she knocked softly on his door, Kiku slid it open, revealing that Ludwig and Gilbert were already inside. They were sitting in chairs that had been provided, holding bottles of beer in their hands as Maria and Kiku knelt on the traditional cushions by the low table.

"Hello, Maria," Ludwig greeted pleasantly, "Ve vere just about to discuss our…situation." She relaxed her shoulders, and then sighed.

"What's there to discuss? We're trapped in another dimension with no way home while our counterparts engage in warfare." Her candor was dripping with sourness, but it was the truth.

"Our counterparts…" Ludwig murmured. "They're so different yet so similar to us. The other me, he's heartless. I can't believe he despises Italy so much, yet I know vhy he does."

"Hai, I've noticed that my counterpart is very serious and a bit severe as well. While he seems composed on the outside, it's as if there are darker thoughts inside his head," Kiku explained.

"Yeah, the other Prussia is very… intense," Gilbert speculated. "He's offhand and aloof about everything. He walks around like he rules the world. I mean, he's me, so he's awesome, but in a way that kind of makes me shiver." Now that, Maria could agree with.

"The other me is so by-the-book and perfunctory," Maria told them. There was a silence while the four of them remained thinking and reflecting on their differences.

"Well," Gilbert stood up, "We can figure everything out after some sleep. I'm tired. The other Japan was right; it's been a long day." Kiku nodded and Ludwig stood up as well and the two German brothers left the room, leaving Maria and Kiku behind alone. Under different circumstances, Maria would have been totally psyched to be in a bedroom of Kiku's, but right now she was too somber.

"I must be dreaming," Maria said glumly with vain hope. Kiku looked at her with despondent eyes.

"I'm afraid not. Look," he exhaled, "I tried to explain earlier why I had to join the war. I spoke to my counterpart before the meeting. If he died in the war, there would be no one to send us home. Without his help, we could be stranded here, possibly forever. That's why I have to fight with him. If the Genesis Powers win, he promises to do whatever he can to send us home."

Maria stared back at him expressionless. While she understood his reasoning, she was still mad that he decided to get involved. "What if you end up against Yao? Or Feliciano, or Alfred? Are you going to fight them, too?"

"It won't come to that," Kiku stated simply, but kept his eyes down.

"And if it does?"

"I…I don't know," he whispered. His troubled expression saddened Maria, and she decided it was time to leave. Gilbert was right; they could figure it out in the morning. Without saying goodbye, she soundlessly returned to her hotel room. She did not realize how exhausted she was until her head hit the pillow and she fell asleep almost instantly.

* * *

The next week went by rather quietly, the only notable events being Maria's training sessions with Dark Prussia. For one she thought so despicable and wicked, Dark Prussia proved to be an excellent teacher, having her master the use of twin knives in combat. They were the only weapons that Maria could handle without having to worry about harming herself. However, her mentor taught her fighting techniques so unique; she had never seen some of them before. He showed her how to read her opponent's movements and where to strike at certain times. After many lessons of learning to be light-footed and how to stab with lethal accuracy, even Dark Russia admitted she looked deadly in combat.

"Good thing you're a fast learner," Kiku complimented after watching her practice with Dark Prussia for a session.

"Well, I am learning from the expert," she replied in a low voice, "But I haven't fought in as many wars as you have, so I don't know how long I'll last out there…"

"Don't worry, you won't be alone. You'll always have help," Kiku smiled at her warmly.

"Thanks," Maria smiled back, "I know all this training is going to pay off. Anyways, Prussia cancelled today's session, so I can actually go to a Genesis meeting."

The Genesis Powers and their counterparts had been sitting at the conference table for a couple of hours, and Dark Japan was going over the updates on the war campaign against Dark China. Dark Russia's armies had already begun advancing into Chinese borders, but progress was slow. Maria was literally on the verge of falling asleep, and so was Gilbert and Arthur. Abruptly, Dark Prussia got up out of his seat. Dark Japan stopped mid-sentence as he spoke.

"This is boring. We're getting nothing done," he said, "I'm going to go give Poland what's been coming to him for a long time now."

Dark Japan just sighed and nodded his head. "I guess that's fine. The Vertex Union hasn't made a move yet so go ahead." Dark Prussia chuckled, making the Japanese man raise an eyebrow.

"West and I have already conquered most of Poland," he said in amusement.

"You have? Already?" Dark Japan asked, looking at Dark Germany.

"Yes," the blonde answered stiffly, "My armies have been pushing into his country for almost two veeks now."

"And you're just now telling me?"

"Come on, Japan, you know us," Dark Prussia said lightly, "We like to do our own thing. As for telling you, it just never came up." Never came up? Maria thought, they must not take this very seriously, or maybe just see Poland as insignificant…

"Has he sent for help even?" The Dark Philippines asked, just hearing this for the first time as well.

"He did send an SOS to my nation," Dark Britain said, "And probably one to France as well, but he's not strong enough to interfere yet. Though I don't know about America."

"He tried to send one to him, too, but it vas intercepted and besides, America's too busy absorbing Canada and helping China," Dark Germany informed him.

"So that's that," Dark Prussia said impatiently, "So West and I are going to go there now with our counterparts. And would my trainee like come as well?" He asked with mock politeness, expecting her choice to be obvious.

"Sure," Maria answered. As she left the room with him and the others, she began to feel anxious, as if something terribly bad was going to happen…

* * *

After their small helicopter that Dark Germany had called for landed on an abandoned Polish farmland, an escort military car was already waiting for them. As they got off the helicopter, thedriver stood up and saluted the Dark German brothers.

While they were being driven to the main German camp, Maria tried to mask her revulsion from the scenes around them. They passed through towns who buildings had crumbled under the bombings used by the German _Blitzkrieg_ strategy. Farms and fields had been tracked by the vehicles of the army coming through. Every once in a while, Maria's gaze would fall on a dead soldier's body whose wounds were so absolutely horrific that she had to close her eyes. The mangled corpses littered everywhere were almost too much for her, but she told herself in her head that this is what real war is like, and she used the sight of them to remind her of why she was truly fighting.

After two hours or so of traveling through the Polish battlegrounds, with smoke billowing in the distance, they finally arrived at the military camp and a large general's tent was prepared for them to reside in while each person was assigned their own smaller, but still better than others, tent for sleeping in. Once she set up her tent, she went to the makeshift command room with Dark Prussia.

Once inside, Dark Prussia lounged on a folding chair as his brother and their counterparts, Ludwig and Gilbert, settled in on their own chairs, holding cans of beer.

"Wait," Maria said, confused. "Aren't we going to join the battle out there?"

"Nah," Dark Prussia yawned, "Our armies don't need our help. They're about to take Warsaw right now. Poland didn't stand a chance."

"You're not even going to take part in the final battle?"

"Nope," he replied with the same indifference, "My awesomeness is only needed against actual opponents, not weaklings like Poland." Maria almost could not stand his cockiness and arrogance. His inflated ego disgusted her.

"If you're so great, then why are you an ex-nation? You're not even on the map anymore," she retorted, crossing her arms. At this, the albino sat up, and even Gilbert rolled his eyes.

"Look. While you were busy with your imperialist problems," Dark Prussia said, throwing her own weakness back at her, "West and I decided to unite into one big country to increase our strength, and I let Germany keep the title because he's the responsible one. Judging by the way that Briton and the Frenchie freaked out after seeing our combined might, I'd say it worked." Maria just glared back stubbornly, trying not to let that imperialist comment get under her skin.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't notice how awesome you two became under America's shadow." Maria shot back.

"You mean the America who created a sphere of influence on your islands?" Dark Prussia smirked, while his brother, Ludwig and Gilbert stifled their laughter.

"No, I was talking about the America who kicked your ass come World War II," Maria was nothing short of insults.

"Oh, my bad. I thought we were talking about the America who used your islands as stepping stones to get beat Japan in that same war," he countered.

"Hey!" Maria snapped. "I can't believe you just went there."

"Ha, you better believe it. Anyway, it's time for another knife lesson." Dark Prussia led the way out of the tent. Giving up, Maria followed him through the camp, which was set up along the Vistula River, just kilometers away from the capital of Warsaw. The two trained along the riverbank, Maria's objective being to keep from falling in the water while fighting him.

She had come close to falling in twice, but still remained dry, when Ludwig came jogging over an hour later.

"The other Germany vants you two to return to camp right now," he said when he reached them. "His army has taken the capital and has Poland captive."

"That was fast," said Dark Prussia half-smiling. When the three of them returned, Dark Germany was putting on his general's cap and Gilbert handed each of them their own. Maria could hear commotion outside. The army that was in battle at Warsaw must have just returned with their spoils of war.

"I've been waiting for this," Dark Prussia murmured. Then two German soldiers entered the tent, dragging a blonde haired man with bright green eyes wearing a tattered, bloodstained green uniform.

"Poor, poor Poland," Dark Prussia spoke softly but in an ominous voice. "You've been beaten once again. I'm surprised you've managed to elude your demise for so long."

The Polish man's green eyes glared into his red ones. Maria observed how he act with much more dignity that her Poland did, but maybe he too would act like this if the circumstances were the same. She doubted it. The German soldiers forced Dark Poland to his knees and tied his hands behind his back. Then they saluted their general, Dark Germany, and exited the tent.

"In the last var, you only managed to survive because the Allies save your sorry ass, but this time, it vill end differently, you can be sure of that," Dark Germany warned menacingly. Ludwig shivered involuntarily; he did remember what he did as Germany on his Earth during World War II, but he was not this cruel back then, was he? No, Ludwig told himself, Feliciano would not let that happen anyways.

"Your very existence reminds me of how badly that war ended," Dark Prussia growled, but still the Polish man said nothing and only glared back. Then the red eyes met his brother's, and Dark Germany nodded with an evil glint in his eyes. The German general grasped his long leather whip from the table and stood before Dark Poland.

When he cracked the whip, it tore through the captive's clothes and left an ugly red line on his flesh. Dark Poland cried out as his tormentor cracked the whip again and again, mercilessly, while Dark Prussia grinned wickedly, flashing his sharp teeth. Each time the whip struck skin, Maria used all her willpower to keep herself from flinching while Ludwig and Gilbert looked away. Dark Germany cracked the whip upon the Polish man's face, creating a bright red mark streaking down his left cheek, and his agonizing cry made Maria sick to her stomach. It was inhumane, what these two were doing to him. They were punishing him just for existing! Maria wanted to help him so badly, but she had to keep her cover—she needed Dark Prussia's trust and she could not afford to ruin it now.

When Dark Germany finally stopped his torture, his brother turned to Maria. "Have you ever used a whip before?" the albino asked. Knowing where this was going, Maria shook her head and maintained a straight face. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ludwig's puzzled look for a fleeting second before he masked it.

"No," Maria lied. The truth was, she knew how to use a whip because Ludwig had given her lessons when Kiku had them bond together. Ludwig and Maria did not really have much in common, so they just practiced using the whip that day and she got extremely good at it. Dark Prussia gestured for his brother to teach her.

Dark Germany showed her how to grip the whip and guided her hand as he cracked the whip on thin air. "That's exactly how to aim," he instructed Maria, who nodded like a good student. "Give it a try," he said as he positioned her in front of the Polish man. "Aim for the face; it's more rewarding that vay."

She looked down upon her to-be victim, whose green eyes met hers. He did not deserve this, and Maria wanted to do anything but harm him. Then she remembered that it was imperative that she keep her cover. When she cracked the whip, she missed Dark Poland completely. "Try again," Dark Prussia coached, "Your flick of the wrist looks great, you're aim was just off." Good. He couldn't tell she did that on purpose. Maria tried again, but to be convincing, she struck Dark Poland across the chest with less force. But even he cringed, the guilt made her throat go dry. Then she turned to her red eyed mentor.

"Sorry, I guess I'm more of a knife person." Smiling apologetically, she gave the whip back to Dark Germany.

"That's okay," Dark Prussia said, though he sounded disappointed, "Can't be good at everything like me." Then he called for the two soldiers to come inside. "Get this vermin out of my sight," he ordered and they heaved Dark Poland off his knees.

"Stake him outside in the middle of the camp," Dark Germany commanded as they heaved the Pole outside. Then he turned to the counterparts. "That's all for today. I just need to discuss some things vith my brother. You three can return to your tents." Maria, Ludwig, and Gilbert did not argue; they left as soon as they were dismissed.

"That was horrifying," Maria said in a low voice as they made their way to their tents. The queasiness she felt had yet to go away.

"It's hard to believe that that is supposed to be another version of me," Gilbert said, downhearted. "Everything about this world is so…screwed up."

Ludwig only looked at the ground in shame for reasons he could not explain. Feliciano was the biggest difference between himself and his counterpart. Without Feli's cheery influence, would he have turned out to be the same cruel torturer? One friendship, one pinky promise, had sent them down opposite paths? By the time the three of them separated into each of their own tents, he was depressed. Wearily, he wondered how Feliciano was doing without him. It was then that he regretted with a heavy heart all the times he had taken his pasta-loving friend for granted.

Maria settled down in her tent, but did not change nor make ready for bed. Instead, she waited for the sun to set and for all the talking between the German soldiers in the camp to die down until she could only hear crickets chirping. Then she silently slipped out of her tent and snuck towards the middle of the camp, the black uniform helping hide her in the shadowy night. With the twinkling stars and the luminescent crescent moon above, she skulked around until she became close enough to see a figure whose wrists were chained to two wooden stakes, holding up his torso. Even though her steps were barely audible, the Pole could sense that someone was there and his eyes reflected the moonlight as he searched the darkness in front of him.

"It's me, Maria," she whispered, coming face to face with the captive. "I'm the Philippines from another dimension…I don't know if you know about us…" Then green eyes met the brown, and she heard him speak for the first time.

"I heard about the dimension travelers and figured that that was you since you weren't with Japan," Dark Poland said. His voice sounded like that of Poland from her Earth, but was grave without the perkiness. There was a moment of silence before she spoke again.

"I'm sorry. For what happened back there," she said so quietly she was not sure if he heard her or not. Maria knew that "sorry" was not enough—the pain he endured, how could he ever forgive anyone for that?

"Don't say that. It's not your fault I'm totally weak and pathetic," he replied forlornly. "I actually wanted to say thank you."

"What? Why?"

"I know you held back on purpose with that whip. Prussia was watching your hands, but I was watching your eyes. If you were going for my face, then you would have focused there," he told her. This version of Poland was strange to Maria. Normally, Poland would say something ridiculous and absurd, but this one was levelheaded. Maybe, being on this Earth, history had hit him a bit harder, making him a more prudent person.

"Well, I shouldn't have done it at all. It was a terrible thing to do to another person."

"Prussia and Germany aren't known for being humane," Dark Poland said sullenly. "You don't seem like someone who'd follow them." It was not really a question, but Maria felt she had to explain herself.

"I have to make sure that my friends survive this war. To do that, I need to learn how to fight, and he's taught me a lot about sadism. If I stick with him, I can make sure he doesn't kill any of my friends," she poured her heart out. She had not told a single person about her motives and Dark Poland was willing to listen.

"Have you talked to your friends about this?' he asked. When she shook her head, he said, "Maybe you should. That way, you can all protect each other." There was another pause. "Can I ask you a small favor?"

"Anything." With the guilt burdening her heart, she felt she owed him.

"I've been a terrible friend to Lithuania. I haven't always been there for him, you can even call me a traitorous person at times. He's under Russia's house right now. Do you think you can check on him and tell him that I'm sorry?" Remorse seemed to flow out of him with his words, and there was no way Maria could say no.

"Of course." Dark Poland smiled weakly at her words, and then looked beyond her into the distance.

"Warsaw is in flames," he said sadly. "I can feel it in my bones." Maria wondered if he meant that literally. She was not sure what it was like to have her nation utterly ravaged and devastated. It must have been excruciating for a nation. When he looked at her again, his expression seemed wistful. "Am I, like, a total wicked hipster back on your world?"

"I guess you could say that," Maria giggled at the memory of her Poland and his obsession with the color pink.

"That's good. I wish I could be like that…if the state of affairs were simpler," he said longingly.

Suddenly, they heard the Dark Prussia's signature chuckle and Dark Germany's voice coming towards them. Dark Poland's voice grew into an urgent whisper. "Hurry! There's a tent that way," he gestured by tilting his head, "that's empty. Go now!" Maria nodded, then planted a light kiss on his forehead, an action of pure friendship, but sacred all the same, and without a sound hurried into the tent. Empty, as he said, probably because the soldier was on sentry duty at the edge of the camp. Through a small slit between the two flaps of the entrance, she peeked outside.

Dark Prussia had walked up to Dark Poland and gripped his chin harshly and Dark Germany carried a torch that enabled Maria to see what was happening.

"You useless excuse for a country," the albino sneered, and struck a blow across his face. "We told you this was going to end differently this time around." Then, he brandished a glossy knife, whose blade seemed to glow in the light of the moon. He gingerly traced an "X" where the Pole's heart would be, ripping his uniform but barely tearing his flesh. The entire time, Dark Poland wore a brave face, a face Maria thought impossible for any Poland to wear, and his green eyes did not portray any fear.

"Are you afraid of death?" Dark Prussia asked, licking his lips. The look on the Polish man's face did not falter. "Well, you should be." Then the Prussian's arm tensed with the blade pointed at his fatal "X."

Maria clamped her hands over her mouth to hold back a terrified scream, and tears welled in her eyes as she witnessed the execution of nation.

* * *

From the Author: I know I kind of strayed away from the actual plot in this chapter, but that's cuz I wanted to focus on character development. I promise I'll go back next chap! And I know that I make the Germans out to be the bad guys, but this is not meant to be the least bit racist! I'm just using the characters from hetalia. And if you pay attention to Ludwig, who is Germany from our Earth, he is against all of this. As for the whip lesson, I referenced my other one shot Friend Zone in the Pacific? so you guys should check that one out as well. I'm going to stop typing now, so please review! I love hearing from you guys! :D


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Do not own hetalia!

Note: This chapter starts right where the last one left off. It also contains much more character development and some action, so I hope you find it exciting! Enjoy!

* * *

As Dark Prussia withdrew the knife, blood dripping from its tip, Maria turned away and hugged her knees, putting her head between them. The gruesome scene was still vividly replaying itself in her head, and she rocked back and forth, struggling to maintain sanity. When she heard the footsteps of the Dark German brothers disappear, she crept out of the tent robotically and made her way to the edge of the camp, avoiding other soldiers. Maria snuck past the sentries keeping lookout at the end of camp where the woods surrounding began to grow thicker. From there she ran towards the river where she had trained and continued dashing along its bank until she was sure she was out of earshot from the camp. Collapsing to her knees, she stared blankly into the dark rushing water of the Vistula. Then, all the hurt and grief came crashing over her, and she burst into tears. Once more the murder of Dark Poland repeated itself in her head, and thinking of the bloodstained blade make her puke into the running water that carried it away. Still sobbing, she splashed the cold water on her face, as if trying to wash away the overwhelming shame she felt.

Could she have done anything to save the Polish nation? Was it her fault he was dead? Of course she was not the one who used the knife, but she had her chance to help the poor nation and let it by. Maria hated herself as much as she loathed the cruel murderer for allowing such an evil thing happen. Then she remembered what Dark Poland had said to her before he died. "Maybe you should. That way, you can all protect each other." Wiping away tears, she decided that she would follow his advice and speak to her friends about her feelings. She was determined that they all would reach home together.

After her resolution, Maria felt herself mentally deteriorating, and she wept again, for the loss of an innocent life, and cried herself to sleep on the soft, fine silt on the riverbed.

When the first rays of sunrise shone down upon her, she awoke with puffy, swollen eyes. She cupped the river water with her hands and washed her face before heading back to camp. Easily evading the sentries, she went back inside her own tent and waited for someone to come get her for the day's meeting. When Ludwig called her from outside, she went with him to the general's tent where his brother and their counterparts were waiting.

"I trust everyone had a good sleep?" Dark Germany asked. The rest of them nodded, and he continued. "Good, because ve've just been called to the Chinese front vith Japan and Russia. The Vertex Union is on its way there."

* * *

At once they took a helicopter to Vladivostok in southeastern Russia and were escorted to the grand palace that Dark Russia was currently residing in. In the lobby, the five of them were greeted by the other version of Ukraine, who breasts bounced as she led them to the Dark Russia's conference room, where he, Dark Japan, Philippines, Britain, and Kiku, Ivan and Arthur were already seated. Dark Russia smiled at Maria as the arrivals sat down and then addressed Dark Prussia.

"Thanks to your lovely spy, Miss Hungary, we have been told that the Vertex Union has decided to take part in the Chinese battlefield."

"Those fools actually think they stand a chance," smirked Dark Britain, "According to our informant, they will arrive later tonight but won't make a move until dawn."

"And that's when we'll move in and kick some ass," Dark Prussia sniggered.

"Hai, so please rest up today and make ready for battle by dusk," advised Dark Japan. With that, the brief meeting was adjourned and Dark Russia assigned each of them a guest room in his lavish palace. As everyone exited the room to go their separate ways for the day, Maria pulled Gilbert, Kiku, and Ludwig aside.

"Hey, I think we need to talk. Seriously. How about over some lunch?" The others exchanged glances and agreed. When they went deeper into the snow-covered city, they chose to dine at a small restaurant that did not have many customers so they could converse privately. Maria requested a tucked-away booth and after ordering their food, they talked in hushed voices.

"I don't like this," Maria began, "We're actually going to battle tomorrow."

"Are you afraid? Your training has really improved your fighting so I think your fine," Kiku said.

"No! I don't like how we are entangling ourselves in another world's war."

"If you're still so against it, why did you agree to fight? And why have you been training with the other Prussia?" Gilbert frowned slightly.

"Because," Maria exasperated, "I can't let the rest of you fight without me! If any one of you was killed, I'd-I'd…" she left off, her lip trembling. The others grew quiet and their expressions softened.

"Is that why you changed your mind back then?" Kiku asked, "To protect us?" Maria nodded slowly, but still stared down at her untouched coffee. "I didn't realize you felt that way," Kiku said gently.

"You're right, Maria," Ludwig consented, "ve shouldn't have gotten sucked into this mess, but everyone else had as vell."

"Yeah, hearing you say that…" Gilbert looked at her. "That's just…awesome of you. But I see where you're coming from. I've spent time with my counterpart, and he's…menacing. While we look exactly alike, it's as if his aura's different. More evil."

Maria glanced up. "Do you know what he did?" Her whisper was barely audible, sounding like that of a small child's, who was frightened and scared. Gilbert and Kiku looked at her questioningly, but Ludwig turned away and Maria was sure that he knew. Maria shook her head, not being able to bring herself to speak about the horrifying event, and then she met Ludwig's eyes and a wordless understanding passed between them.

"He killed Poland last night," Ludwig said regretfully. Kiku's eyes widened and Gilbert's jaw fell open. "I saw it happen."

Maria furrowed her brows. "You were there too?" she asked, a bit surprised. He nodded and stared at her sadly. He must've seen me talking to Dark Poland, Maria thought, trying to interpret his strange look. A heavy silence lingered over the four of them.

"They're all monsters here," Kiku spoke, "I've done some talking to the other me and learned a lot about this world. The way things are run around here…it's like trust and friendship never existed among nations." They all pondered the truth of his words and Maria thought of Dark Poland again.

"We should make an oath," she suggested suddenly, "All of you promise me that none of us will get carried away by this war. Swear that you'll do anything to stay alive. So we can all go home together."

"Let's make it a pinky promise," Ludwig proposed and held out his finger. The rest of them smiled, Maria beamed happily, and the four of them hooked pinkies. It was a simple gesture, but Ludwig took it very seriously, knowing the others did as well. Then he thought of his other promise to his best friend and told himself that he would make sure that promise stayed fulfilled as well.

"Thanks, guys," Maria said, "I'm definitely going to hold you to your oath!" After they all finished eating, Kiku excused himself to go to the bathroom and Gilbert went as well, leaving Ludwig with Maria, who sipped her coffee. A moment later, he turned to her.

"I saw you vith Poland," he said tentatively. Maria said nothing. "I, um, followed you to the river…" Then she blushed, cursing herself for not being cautious enough. So he seen her mental breakdown…how embarrassing. When he saw her cheeks redden, he stumbled over words. "I, um, vell, left right away. I-I'm sorry, but it's nothing to be ashamed of…I vanted to ask, are you going to be alright?" Maria smiled at his consideration.

Knowing his awkwardness was purely innocent because they were strictly friends, Maria answered with a toothy grin. He was not normally the social butterfly of the group and without Feliciano he had a hard time talking to people without scaring them away."Thanks, Lud, after making that promise I feel a lot better. It was Poland's idea. I just can't help but think that his death was my fault."

"Nein! It vas not your fault. You couldn't have done anything for him. You already helped by staying your hand vith the vhip. I remember the day I gave you lessons and you vere really good at it."

"I appreciate that, but does it make me as bad as Prussia for just standing by?" she expressed her deepest concern.

"Nein. Vhat's done is done. Vhat ve need to focus on now is getting home alive," Ludwig affirmed assuredly.

"You're right," replied Maria, who really did feel a great burden lifted off her shoulders. Then Gilbert and Kiku returned.

"We outta get some rest now. If we are seriously going to fight tomorrow then I need some sleep to be as awesome as possible," Gilbert said as the four left the restaurant.

* * *

The nations of the Vertex Union arrived in the city of Lhasa just kilometers away from the battle grounds. Dark Russia's forces had moved deep into Chinese territory, absorbing all of Mongolia along the way. His forces had overcome the defenses on the Great Wall of China and had pushed further south. After a short meeting rerunning through their battle strategies for what seemed like the millionth time, Feliciano, Lovino, Antonio, and their counterparts remained seated at the dining table of the house that Dark China owned in the city, anticipating the next day's melee. Trying to rid himself and the others of anxiety, Feliciano suggested they make pasta.

"No thanks...not really in the mood," Dark Italy replied glumly.

"How can you not be in the mood for pasta?" Feliciano exasperated. "For one, you need the carbs for tomorrow's fight. And for two, pasta is like a source of joy!"

"How are you always so optimistic?" Dark Italy said, barely maintaining a temper. "You're always so smiley. It's like 'fun' has lost all meaning for me..."

"But why? I love smiling! Why can't you have any fun anymore?"

"Because," Dark Italy's voice rising to a shout, "Ever since I surrendered to the Allies in World War II, Germany and Prussia have made my life hell! Not even Japan can look at me without a hint of disgust in his eyes." Feliciano's eyes widened at his outburst. While the results of the war were the same in both worlds, the Axis powers had completely different outcomes in reactions. How could the two Germanies acted so differently?

"No! I told you, it's not your fault! Those bastards are just taking their anger out on you. If you kept fighting you would've only gotten even more hurt. The fucking Allies were too strong that war, they were bound to win." Dark Romano was shaking his brother's shoulders, trying to reach him and console him. But Dark Italy just shook his head in shame.

"But my Germany is so nice to me. He's always coming to save me when the battle goes wrong for me, which is pretty much all of the time I guess. He's my best friend!" Feliciano insisted, still not understanding how the other Germany could be so cruel.

"Well, aren't you just lucky to be born in your Earth because that would never happen here," his counterpart muttered acrimoniously. Feliciano was lucky in that sense. If his world had been like this one, would he have turned out so miserable like his counterpart? Without Ludwig always protecting him, who knows whether he would still be a notable nation or not. But now it seemed as if Fate was against him. After all, he could very well meet Ludwig on the battlefield tomorrow...

* * *

The next morning at daybreak, Maria found herself gripping the sides of her seat in the fighter plane that was transporting them to the battlegrounds in the vast Plateau of Tibet, with serrated mountains rising up on all sides. Dark Prussia saw her distress and snickered.

"Don't worry. You learned how to use twin knives from an awesome master," he said, "So here's how it works in this world: while the two opposing armies clash on the field, us nations are the ones who determine the tide of the battle by dueling in the center of the skirmish. Then we fight. No rules or petty regulations can hold us back once the real fighting begins." Maria nodded and gulped. She tried not to show how she felt as if the butterflies in her stomach were being enraged. Today anything could happen. What if one of her friends fell?

Soon, the Genesis fighter plane flew low enough for its passengers to jump down onto the field without injury. All of them stuck the landing, and Maria looked up to see the nations of the Vertex Union marching towards them, their armies following right behind.

Every nation came dressed in their nation's uniform with bulletproof vests underneath and armed with weapons-Maria and her counterpart with their twin knives, the two Germanies with their whips, the two Prussians with swords, the Russians with iron pipes, Japans with katanas, the Britons with their magic spell books. On the other side, the Spaniards had axes, the Americas had pistols, the Chinas had broad swords (they decided to trade their woks for a deadlier weapon), the two Frenchmen had knight swords, the Italians had semiautomatic guns.

The Dark Nations stood there in line with the Genesis facing the Vertex Union, each scowling threateningly at the others. While they brandished their weapons, the counterparts stood behind them uneasily. Around them, the two great armies began to collide, but there seemed to be a circle with a mile radius surrounding the nations, in which no soldier dared stepping into for fear of getting killed in their crossfire.

"Well, Spain, why don't we finish what we start earlier?" Dark Prussia snarled.

"Gladly," was the Spaniard's reply. Then he twirled his heavy axe with ease and charged the Prussian. Waiting for no further provocation, Dark Russia also leapt upon Dark America with his iron pipe held over his head. While the Prussian sword and the Spanish axe clanged against each other, Dark America dodged the Russian's attack, but instead of drawing his pistol, he revealed the baseball bat from behind his back. On it's end, jagged rusty nails protruded out.

"Why should I use a gun on you?" Dark America yelled as he swung, "It would be much more fun and satisfying if I destroyed you with this!"

As those duels went on, the other Dark Nations joined the fray. Dark China and Dark Japan crossed blades and Dark France started for Dark Britain while Dark Germany decided to take on both Dark Italy and Dark Romano.

Then another Dark Asian nation appeared- it was Hong Kong, joining the cause of his old master. Maria had not seen him behind Dark China until he moved to fight. Dark Philippines noticed him as well and went on the offensive. After she dodged his explosives he drew a curved dagger to counter her twin knives.

However, the nations from Maria's world remained still. Even though most of them willingly joined the war, they were reluctant to attack each other.

After a few moments of dreadful foreboding, Kiku shocked them all by coming to his counterpart's side and raising his weapon on Dark China. Yao was appalled and ran to check Kiku with his own blade.

"Kiku! How could you?" Yao cried with their blades pushing on each other.

"I'm sorry, Yao, but I have to fight for the other me," he replied, "So get out of my way."

"No!" Yao pushed back with more force and Kiku jumped out of the way of his sword. "I have to defend my counterpart!" exclaimed Yao. Then the two seemed to enter a deadly dance, slashing and dodging each other. Maria felt her heart contract tightly as she watched.

Then Alfred saw a golden opportunity to help his counterpart. There was a clear shot to Dark Russia; his back was facing him as he used his iron pipe to defend himself from Dark America. However, Ivan noticed that opening too, and saw Alfred holding his pistol. While Alfred was hesitant to fire upon another nation, Ivan did not waste a second and before the American knew what was happening, Ivan was descending down on him with his own iron pipe at hand. The Russian struck him hard on his left temple and he was thrown completely off balance. But no America could be defeated that easily. At once he recovered to his feet, but since he lost hold of his weapon when he fell, Alfred used his bare fists furiously. With powerful blows he pounded on Ivan, who did not expect him to counterattack so quickly. His own iron pipe was knocked out of his hand and so the two brawled the old fashion way.

Meanwhile, Arthur and Francis, both remembering ancient centuries of hateful rivalry, matched each other in combat. While Arthur's strength came from his spells, Francis had to dodge them in order to get close enough to use his sword, but was barely managing to stay unscathed. Antonio, seeing an old friend in trouble, came to his aide and both charged at Arthur.

"Hey! A little help over here?" called Arthur to the others. Ludwig blinked, and then realized that the Briton was indeed on his side in this war. In truth, he did not want to join the fight but he was obligated to; he and his brother had signed the Genesis treaty. So, pushing away second thoughts, he gripped his whip and he and Gilbert fought along with Arthur. Lovino, feeling he had to help his boss, opened fire, but Arthur's magic created a shield for himself. When this happened, Maria knew it was time for her to use her training.

As she darted towards Lovino, she felt the adrenaline making her heart pump faster and the blood coursing through her veins. The poor Italian did not even see her coming since he was focused on Arthur. She came from his left, and at the last minute he saw her out of the corner of his eye and shot instinctively at her chest. In her head, she thanked Dark Japan for giving her a bullet proof vest. While she was a little upset that he had shot at her without a second thought, she told herself that it was only Lovino's reflexes. With a quick and direct hand Maria smacked the gun from her opponent's hand and firmly held her knives. Knowing she had to be convincing in combat, she took the initiative on Lovino. However, while she fought with fierce finesse, she purposefully missed Lovino's vital areas and only inflicted minor cuts, not mortal wounds. The Italian, on the other hand, was breathing hard as he thought he was seriously fighting for his life. Even though her attacks were not meant to be fatal, Lovino had no opportunity to strike back, and Maria realized how valuable her training had been. Before receiving lessons from Dark Prussia, there was no way she could have held out so long against another opponent like South Italy, even though Italies were never known to be meritable. Now she was a skilled fighter with the competence to kill another, though the notion had never crossed her mind and she would never abuse her talents like that.

With a decisive kick to Lovino's chest, he was sent sprawling backwards, cursing, and Maria could not help but feel her heart swell with pride. She had actually defeated another opponent!

Meanwhile, a few feet away from her, Ludwig was giving Antonio a hellish time. The Spaniard had somehow lost hold of his axe-Ludwig was remarkably good with disarming an opponent with a whip- and was dodging the German's attacks, sweat pouring down his face. Then Antonio smoothly rolled away from the whip's lash and with lightning speed got to his feet and tackled Ludwig to the ground. In the process his whip flew out of his hands and landed at Maria's feet. Sheathing one of her knives, she picked it up and looked around for another fight. When she scanned her surroundings, she met eye contact with Feliciano, who froze in fear. Pretending not to have noticed him, she quickly glanced away. Maria could not bring herself to beat on the innocent Italian, who pitifully stood at the edge of the melee.

When Feliciano met her eyes, he thought for sure she would attack him after seeing her fight his brother. The whole time, he had stood off to the side of skirmish, terrified, wishing he could just wave his white flag and take off. But where would he run? All around him was the chaos of the raging war. On the verge of tears, he did not belong here. This world settled their wars differently, savagely.

However, Maria was not the only one who saw him standing there, defenseless and helpless. Dark Britain had just sent his last opponents flying with his magical spell. When he noticed the lone Italian, he did not stop to ponder his next move. He held out his hand in Feliciano's direction and spoke his murderous words. The brilliant blast shot out of his outstretched hand, heading straight towards Feliciano, who was so engulfed by his terror that he could not move. With perfect accuracy, the spell sped forward to burn through its petrified victim.

* * *

From the Author: So I got back on track this chapter as I promised. Again, I referenced my other one shot with the whip lessons. Sorry for the cliffhanger, I guess that makes me Dark wintercandyapple, but I'll try not to leave you guys hanging for too long

So if you liked it, please leave a review, because its very much appreciated! To my reviewers: Thanks for all the kind words! Not a single one was taken for granted I promise :D


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Do not own hetalia

Note: So this chapter starts where the last one left off immediately! I hope that last cliffhanger wasn't too bad. If it was then wait no longer! Enjoy :)

* * *

Maria moved faster than she ever had before. With nothing but desperation in her mind, all of Ludwig's whip teachings came to her. By flicking her wrist just as he had taught her, the whip wrapped itself around Feliciano's legs as Dark Britain's spell came to claim his life. With all her might, she yanked the whip, sweeping Feliciano off his feet and he crashed to the ground just as the deadly blast flew over him where his head would have been. Now Maria's head was reeling; Dark Britain was probably watching and would have seen her save their enemy and call her a traitor. Thinking fast, she towered over Feliciano, who was still just getting up. The poor Italian cowered as he saw the glittering knives in her hand. Hopefully, Dark Britain would just assume that she never saw his blast in the first place and think that she was just trying to kill Feliciano herself.

"Run," she hissed at him through a scowl that masked her feelings. He did not need to be told twice, and did what he had always done best: fled. While she wanted to sneak a peek at the Briton to see if her performance was believable, she did not want to risk seeming the least bit suspicious, so Maria went to assist Ludwig, who was still wrestling Antonio.

Meanwhile, Kiku continued to engage Yao in a heated duel between two glistening blades. Next to them, an even more intense swordfight took place between Dark Japan and Dark China. At one point, the two Japanese men came back-to-back with each other. "Switch partners?" Dark Japan asked his counterpart, who gave a "Hai!" in agreement. While still back-to-back, the two made a 180 degree turn to face their new Chinese opponent. As Kiku started to take on Dark China, he realized that this China was much more fierce and vicious with his sword and so he was forced to up his game. The Chinas, being some of the oldest nations, had many more years of fighting experience and insight, but the Japans had always had an aggressiveness that worked in their favor.

Outside of the nations' circle, the morbid scene was looking especially bleak for the Vertex Union. The German, Russian, and British troops dominated the blood ridden plateau while the Chinese forces were suffering major losses and the American soldiers were struggling to change the tide of the battle, but were ultimately failing. After bobbing and weaving through Dark Russia's wild swings with his iron pipe, Dark America grimaced when he took a look around himself. He could see the outcome of this battle was already inevitable.

"Fall back!" he called to his fellow nations. Not one to make another stupid mistake, he figured that the Vertex Union would lose this battle but this have a fair shot at winning the war. No use in needless sacrifices if their battle was already fated to be won by the Genesis Powers. His allies withdrew in acquiescence, regret written all over their faces. As they retreated, Maria turned to Dark Prussia and awaited instructions to give chase.

The albino shook his head and sheathed his sword. "Let the cowards run. We'll get our chance another time," he shrugged. Maria showed her consent by sheathing her own weapons and the two made their way to the other Genesis Powers, who had gathered in a crowd, their backs blocking her view of what all the commotion was about. When Arthur and Ivan gave them room to see, Maria's blood went cold. Yao was on his knees, teeth clenched, as Dark Japan held his katana to his throat.

Dark Prussia sneered. "Well, what are you waiting for?" he asked unsympathetically. His words unhinged Maria and she was about to do something asinine when Kiku slapped the blade aside and stood between his counterpart and Yao.

"No," he asserted, "Leave him unharmed." His voice was stanch and Dark Japan regarded the steely look on his face.

"But he's the enemy. You fought him only moments ago," he repudiated evenly.

Kiku shook his head resolutely, "Only because I had to. Besides, killing him now would accomplish nothing. Since he's from another dimension, you can't conquer his lands, so there's no point in taking his life."

"Nevertheless, he is allied vith the Vertex Union," Dark Germany protested.

"Okay, fine," Maria cut in, "then just take him prisoner, But Kiku's right, it would be unnecessary bloodshed." She did not like her own idea, but being captive was much better than being dead, and the Dark Genesis Powers were not going to free him. Gilbert, Ludwig, and Kiku readily agreed, and Dark Japan sighed.

"Have it your way. For now we should head back to Russia's place."

When the Genesis Powers arrived in Moscow, Dark Russia led them to his even more luxurious palace and suggested convening a brief meeting to discuss their progress. Meanwhile, Yao was sent to the prison cells under the palace (Dark Russia like old-fashioned things like that). The captive had not said a word since he was defeated and Maria could only imagine that shame he was burning in.

They each took a seat once more—Maria was getting tired of all these conferences even though they were a lot more productive that back on her Earth. Dark Japan stated the obvious, saying their advancement into China was a success so far. Once he was done, Dark Britain slammed his fist on the table to get everyone's attention. His head seeming as if it were going to explode, he glared at Maria accusingly. Oh shit, she thought.

"Insolent girl! You saved that Italian from my wrath! He was my prey," he shouted, apoplectically. With everyone's eyes on her now, Maria quickly came up with a bull answer.

"I did it on purpose, idiot. I wanted to…play with him a bit, if you know what I mean," she winked at Dark Prussia, "But I forgot how fast Italians can be; it's the only thing their good for. So why don't you go burn some scones or something." She coated her response with attitude and sassiness toward Dark Britain to prove that she would not allow anyone to push her around. Dark Britain fumed, but Dark Prussia just laughed. "Kesesese, it's okay my pupil. There's always next time." Maria forced herself to smile with him, and the rest of the nations dismissed the Briton as he looked around for support.

"Well since that's settled," Dark Prussia licked his lips, "Why don't we celebrate? All drinks on my brother!" He patted Dark Germany's shoulder, who in turn sighed but did not argue.

"Da!" Dark Russia approved.

"Vodka!" cheered Ivan.

* * *

On the other side of the globe, in America, the nations of the Vertex Union were not as celebratory. Dark America had again called another meeting so they could all regroup and count casualties.

"How disgraceful," muttered Dark France as he bandaged his wounds with Francis.

"_Si_, we lost a lot of men out there," Dark Spain said solemnly. He was helping Antonio spread salve on the lashes that the whip left on him. None of them had left the battlefield without a nasty wound or two.

"C'mon guys! It was only the first major battle. We can still turn this around," encouraged Alfred, hating to see his allies demoralized. "We still got the hero!" he added, as if that was going to reassure anyone.

"But what about Yao?" Feliciano spoke up. Dark China just rubbed his temples in frustration.

"Now that he's captured, assuming he's still alive, there isn't anything we can do for him," Dark America answered dejectedly. "In our conditions, there's no way we can stage a rescue mission. All we can do is pray that he hasn't been tortured or maimed." The images that came with his words were too much for Feliciano to bear.

"But Japan wouldn't let that happen," Feliciano said, thinking mostly of Kiku, but still hoping it also applied to Dark Japan.

"Yeah," agreed Alfred, "they've got to draw the line somewhere. He's not even from this universe." However, Dark China shook his head resentfully.

"Don't kid yourselves, aru. Japan can be as cold as ice when he wants to be. Do you remember the Rape of Nanking? Pearl Harbor?" he directed his last question to Alfred, who said nothing and dropped his gaze to the floor. He did remember, quite vividly, actually, but he did not want to admit it. It was not a prospect he liked thinking about, but the Japanese nation could be mysteriously nerve-racking at times. How could he forget the furious hatred and pain his people felt that awful day?

"But," Feliciano protested, "they're our friends! Kiku, and Ludwig and Maria—" His brother interrupted him abruptly.

"Don't call that fucking bitch our friend! Did you see her come after me with those knives?" Lovino shouted, pissed off as usual.

"But she didn't hurt you as badly as she could have. She could've done a lot worse," Feliciano frowned. He thought about how Maria had saved him from Dark Britain's spell, but then suddenly turned on him. Even after brandishing her knives threateningly, she told him to run. He decided not to mention this to his allies because he was not sure how to interpret it. Bipolar maybe?

"I think Feli is on to something," Antonio said. "After I shoved Ludwig off me, she was my next opponent. While she fought with ferocity, there were definitely opportunities for her to stab me, but she didn't take them. It was clear in her eyes that she saw them."

"No," Dark America affirmed. "Don't trust her. She's probably trying to get you guys to lower your guard til the right moment then she'll strike. I heard she was trained by Prussia after all." But Feliciano did not believe him. He still had faith in Maria, Ludwig and Kiku, too. If only he could just talk to them…

* * *

In one of America's most capable hospitals, Dark Canada lay on one of the white beds in a private infirmary room with his counterpart sitting at his side. Mathew had made it his responsibility to change Dark Canada's ice pack, which sat on his forehead, whenever needed and to make sure he was comfortable. After the Vertex Union traveled to China to fight, Mathew's spirits plummeted as his counterpart's condition worsened significantly within hours. When they returned, he was still in a terrible state. To keep his mind off of things, Mathew tried to make small talk, but was soon running out of light topics to talk about.

"So how's Kumajibiro?" he asked as he checked the ice pack.

"He has a fever…" responded his counterpart feebly. Mathew wanted to hit himself. What a stupid question. Good thing his own Kuma-whatshisface was not with him when he entered the portal. Dark Canada shuddered violently.

"What's wrong?" Mathew asked worriedly.

"I just feel like crap. Not only is my own nation in its own mess, but now I set off a world war," he replied, utterly downcast.

"It's not your fault," Mathew consoled. "The nations have always been trigger-happy. They'd have found an excuse to wage a war without you, eh?"

"I guess I can believe that. But I've put so much on America's shoulders. It was selfish of me to beg him to take care of me."

"Don't worry. Every America is headstrong; he can hold his own, no doubt about it."

"I used to think that, but from my increasingly weakening condition, I can feel that his country is strained. Not only does he have to fight the war, but now he has to invest money into repairing my nation," Dark Canada mutter sheepishly. Mathew could not think of anything else to say. Suddenly his counterpart entered a fit of coughing and he did not resist when Mathew suggested that he rest up and go to sleep.

* * *

While the other Genesis Powers decided to go on their triumphant outing, Maria politely declined, as did her counterpart. Getting drunk with nations she found to be malicious and perverse was not her idea of a good time. As they left with Dark Russia and Ivan leading the way to the best bar in the city, the Dark Philippines requested to speak with Maria privately in the hall.

"So what did you want to talk about?" she asked once they were by themselves in the hall.

"I just wanted to say," the Dark Philippines said, "that I saw your trickery with the Italians." Her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Oh no. Maria struggled to conceal her panic. So the other girl saw through Maria's act with Lovino and saw how she rescued Feliciano, but she tried to play coy.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Liar. When you fought the versions of Romano and Spain from your world, you evidently held back. As a knife user myself, I could tell." Damn. Maria thought her "attack" on Lovino was convincing enough but apparently not. "And I saw you use the whip to save the counterpart of Italy."

"Like I said back at the meeting," Maria insisted, "I wanted the honor of killing him myself, but simply miscalculated."

"Okay, look," her counterpart put her hands on her hips, "Since I have no proof, I'll let it go, but I just need to make one thing clear: I will not tolerate disloyalty." The accusation angered Maria; the word was associated with scandal and lowliness and Maria would not stand for that.

"What? Don't talk to me about loyalty! I know more about that than you imagine," Maria seethed back. "How can you even imply that about me? I'm you, remember? So you should know." But the Dark Philippines shook her head.

"No. Even though we're identical, I can say that you are NOT me. You're too different, too rash. You willingly teamed up with Prussia, act on foolish impulses, speak out of turn to your Japan-"

"Wait, is that what this is about? You're jealous of my relationship with Kiku?" Maria asked incredulously and the Dark Philippines turned a shade of red.

"What? No! Don't be absurd-"

"That's it isn't it? You'd rather be good friends with your Japan than be his 'subordinate,' huh? Or maybe even a few steps further…"

"NO!" The Dark Philippines stamped her foot and her cheeks retained their normal color. "I told you, I'm not like you! Maybe you want to act so crude, but I'm a loyal soldier who's willing to risk her life for his—our—cause!" A few moments passed before Maria answered again.

"I know what you mean, and I respect that. You're right, we are really different. But in that way we're similar. I'm willing to put my life on the line for my own cause. But, don't you think, wouldn't it be better if we could live for our cause?" The strange question befuddled the other girl, whose expression lightened and she paused. Then, out of nowhere, she smiled softly with somber eyes.

"I used to think like that, like you do. But then…reality forced me to wake up. I realized I was a weaker nation and the only way for me to succeed is to work my way up by following Japan. He's taught me a lot and that's the kind of relationship we've forged with each other—the student and the teacher." Her voice sounded sympathetic, nostalgic, even. But then it grew firm and curt. "Now I'll do anything necessary to survive, even if that means subordinating myself. I guess true liberty is a luxury."

"I'm sorry things turned out that way for you," Maria said, becoming more confident, "But this is yet another difference. I'm not ready to give up on freedom and friendship. Maybe that makes me weaker than you, but what's the point if you're not happy?" At this, the other girl just stared at her sadly as if she were a hopeless case. Ending the conversation before she could say anything stupid, Maria turned and walked away.

Now that she was all worked up, Maria could not just retire to her room. Feeling restless, she wandered around Dark Russia's magnificent palace, hall after hall, with decorative tapestries and statues glorifying Russian feats. After an hour or so of repeating carpeted hallways lined with paintings, some of which obnoxiously praising the country, Maria calmed down and found herself in front of the door to the kitchen. Pausing for only a short moment, she thought about going in and figured that she was lost anyways so she might as well ask for directions to her room. When she opened the metallic door, Maria blinked as she saw three familiar faces. Dark Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were all in the middle of preparing dinner and looked up as she came in. Of course they would be here; they had always served as Russia's satellite nations, orbiting him without choice.

"Hello, can I help you, miss?" Dark Lithuania asked while the other two went back to readying dinner trays. Seeing Lithuania reminded Maria of Dark Poland, and she almost forgot to answer.

"Oh, um, I'm good. Don't mind me, just exploring," she responded awkwardly. Dark Lithuania smiled courteously and nodded. Maria did not know much about her own Lithuania, so she wondered if he was this good-natured; between her own isolation of European affairs and his serving under Ivan, they never really got the chance to talk.

"I'm going to deliver the food to Ukraine and Belarus," Dark Latvia announced, but he did not seem to enthusiastic about the latter.

"And I'm going to give the Philippines her food, too," Dark Estonia said and the two headed out of the kitchen with their platters.

"Have you had dinner yet, miss?" Dark Lithuania inquired and Maria shook her head.

"No, but honestly, I'm not hungry. Just a snack would be fine."

"Will this do?" He held out a loaf of fresh baked bread and Maria nodded, accepting the offer graciously. "Now I just have to prepare food for our prisoner," he said quietly to himself.

"I'll help!" Maria moved to the sink to wash her hands.

"No, you don't have to," Dark Lithuania waved his hand, but when she insisted he said, "Well, you can help me cut the vegetables for the stew." Corroboratively, the two each took to a chopping board and began slicing the assortment of Russian vegetables that Maria did not even bother to try to identify. Even in the dim kitchen lighting, she could tell this Lithuania looked like a replica of the one on her Earth and wore the same outfit, just with an apron on top. Then she remembered Dark Poland's final request.

"So, do you fare well working for Russia?" Maria ventured, not exactly sure how to "check" on him without appearing to be prying. Outwardly, he seemed fine, but everyone on this world was a master at concealing inner most feelings. He looked startled by her random question.

"Fare well? Well, I'm still alive, so that counts for something," he repudiated humorlessly. Remaining silent, she could not come up with a response. After a moment, he said, "It's a miserable job for the three of us; we get no respect, just orders from Russia. But I guess on my own I wouldn't last very long."

"Still, everyone deserves independence!" Maria burst out. At last, she was moving beyond her old, myopic perception of this Dark Earth. It was either control or be controlled. It was as if freedom was just a dream to nations to could not compete with the world superpower nations. And Maria could relate; she remembered those long years yearning for her own self-government. Even though she had learned a lot from both Antonio and Alfred, she had always desired to be independent. As she dropped the diced veggies into the boiling pot of water, she took a better look at Dark Lithuania. From the heavy bags under his eyes, his rough hands, and her fake expression of indifference, she could take a good guess as to what kind of life of servitude he led. And it sparked her defiance.

"I can't let myself think like that anymore. Russia has taught me that hope is a deception. The only way is to accept things the way they are," he replied bluntly, placing the finished bowl of stew on a platter and pouring a glass of water.

"That's a sad way to live." Maria's stubbornness overcame her guilt about sounding to harsh. "That's just what the Russian bastard wants you to think. Where's your fire, your spirit? Don't you want a better life for yourself?"

"Of course I do!" Dark Lithuania balled his fists fitfully. "Do you think that I like living like this? No! But there's no other options. If I go out on my own, I'll end up like Switzerland or—or Poland." With that last name, he became teary-eyed and turned away. Maria bit her lip, wanting to take back everything she said.

"I—I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…that was stupid of me to say."

"It's fine," he sniffed back, voice cracking. "I just found out about his death earlier today and it's been eating at me all day, but it would be unbecoming of me to cry while working. I—I miss him so much already! I didn't think it would ever hurt so much to lose that idiotic friend of mine." A single tear rolled down his cheek, and he was obviously fighting back more. The sight of him made Maria want to break down all over again, but she maintained a straight face for his sake.

"Before he died, he told me to tell you that he's truly sorry for not being a worthier friend," she told him with a gentle voice.

"Stupid. He was always s-so stupid," he said shakily. "But, I…I wish…" then tears flowed out his eyes and he covered his face with his hands. Heartbroken, Maria put her arms around him in a hug, barely able to control her own tears. "I wish he was still here!" he sobbed, burying his face into her shoulder. They stayed like that until Dark Lithuania was able to compose himself again and wiped his face. "Tell me, tell me how it happened." At first, Maria hesitated, but she caved to his pitiful state. She told him about the whip torture, her conversation with Dark Poland in the night, and finally Dark Prussia's revenge.

"In the end, he died with honor, not fear." Dark Lithuania nodded and took a deep breath.

"Thank you. For telling me, for being with him, for trying to help me. I feel a lot better now. Since the stew's finished, we can take it to the prisoner—the China from your world." Then the two of them carefully carried the small meal out, with Dark Lithuania leading the way to the dungeon.

"What happens to prisoners here?" Maria inquired anxiously.

"Depends on what kind of prisoner." He was clearly avoiding the question.

"War prisoners." His unwillingness to tell her made her even more worried.

"Trust me, miss, you don't want to know. Just know that I've been ordered to prepare him for 'interrogation' tomorrow morning. I strongly advise you not to come when they send for you."

"Lithuania, I have to know. Please tell me," she pleaded. What were they planning on doing to her old friend Yao? She could not bear not knowing any longer, or she was going to have heart failure.

"Miss," he turned around to look into her eyes directly, "Do you know what rack torture is?"

* * *

From the Author: If you don't know what rack torture is look it up on wikipedia but don't read the details cause it might give you the chills. So I hope you guys found this interesting to read! This chapter was kind of all over the place but that should have sped up the pace! If you liked it, pretty please review! Thanks to all my readers and reviewers!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Do not own hetalia

Note: So I realized that my last chapter wasn't really me best work so I felt obliged to put more thought into this chapter. This chapter has mild violence so be warned! That's all I have to say so I hope you like it!

* * *

Rack torture. The use of such a wretched device to stretch the victim's limbs slowly and induce agonizing pain. Maria became nauseated just thinking about, even though she had never witnessed it before. The image of Yao being torn apart limb by limb gave her goose bumps, and she thought of nothing else as Dark Lithuania led her directly to Yao's cell beneath the palace. It was a dark, miserable place with rats scurrying across the dirt coated ground while water dripped down along the jagged rock walls. The air around them was stale and the only sounds that could be heard were their own footsteps echoing. Torches lined the walls, providing minimal light. The first few cells contained common criminals and perhaps political opponents, who said nothing and stared blankly as Maria and her guide walked past.

Finally they reached Yao's prison cell, and when Dark Lithuania unhooked a torch and held it close to the metal bars, Maria peered inside. Yao's limp body hung from his chained wrists, making a Y shape on the stone wall, much like how Dark Poland was kept. For a horrible second, Maria thought he was already dead, but then he raised his head at the sound of Dark Lithuania unlocking the cell. She could not read his eyes, which caught the torch light. Indignant maybe? Not authorized to unchain him, Dark Lithuania held the bowl of soup in one hand and the spoon in the other, but Maria quickly offered to feed him herself.

"It's me, Maria," she whispered as she held the spoon to his mouth. He hesitated spitefully, but then accepted the stew. Now the look in his eyes was apparent—they seem to say _traitor_.

"Don't give me that look," she murmured as he swallowed. "It's not my fault you're in this situation."

"I can't believe you're on their side, aru," he mumbled, talking for the first time since he was captured.

"Well, it's not where I want to be, but I have no other choice. I'm sticking with my counterpart like you stuck with yours." She continued to spoon feed him and in between bites they spoke.

"This is dishonorable. Maybe Kiku should have let him kill me."

"Don't you dare say that!" Maria withheld the spoon to make her point. "We are all going to make it out alive. Forget this stupid war; all I care about is getting everyone home safely. And that includes you!"

"Then why are you fighting with the Genesis?"

"Because," she said, giving him the stew once more, "I don't want to seem suspicious. You and Kiku are the ones who taught me to be discrete, remember?"

"That's really all you care about?" He asked dubiously. Dark Lithuania stood dutifully at the entrance of the cell, holding the torch.

"Why should anything else matter? The reasons for this war are stupid. But our counterparts are dangerous. That's why it's so important for me to make sure everyone gets out okay." Her voice was soft, yet firm with certainty.

"That's a lot of responsibility to put on yourself," Yao commented as if speculating. He was not angry anymore, just cynical.

"It is," Maria agreed, "That's why I need all of you guys to help me out. Kiku, Ludwig, Gilbert and I have all promised to do whatever it takes to stay alive."

"They're in on it too? That's hard to believe, aru." The last spoonful of stew was eaten.

"They are. And now I need you to promise me the same—" Maria stopped abruptly when she heard Dark Lithuania gasped and cover his mouth with his free hand. The German man stepped into the torch light, and Dark Lithuania stared up at him in terror, but he was not looking at the Lithuanian. Maria dropped the bowl in shock, and recoiled instinctively. _Dark Germany heard me!_ She thought frantically, _He knows that I'm not really on their side!_

"Maria, is that you? Vhat's vrong?" The German raised an eyebrow and Maria exhaled in relief. It was just Ludwig. From Dark Lithuania's reaction, she had assumed that it was Dark Germany. The poor boy probably thought it really was his version of Germany.

"Oh, uh, nothing. I just thought you were the other Germany," Maria replied regaining her posture.

Ludwig sighed. "He really is fearful, isn't he? Even Feliciano's probably scared of me now." Maria could tell he was flashing back to when his counterpart had threatened Feli's counterpart.

"What are you doing here? What about going to the bar to celebrate?" asked Maria, sincerely curious, but also trying to take his mind off of that event.

"The others decided to go to a brothel, so I came back here. It's not my thing…" He trailed off. Frankly, Maria appreciated the fact that he chose not to go. Those places were so demeaning for women. Then a sickening thought popped into her head.

"Wait…did Kiku go, too?" Maria shuddered. She seriously hoped the answer was a definite no.

"Don't worry, he didn't. He had too much to drink, so he headed back here before I did, but he walked. He's probably still on his way here." Good. Maria was about to ask if Ludwig had driven back, which he most likely did, but then decided that he was probably capable of driving okay drunk. Yao just frowned at them, and she had almost forgotten he was there.

"Anyways," Maria said, turning back to the captive, "You need to make me that promise." She gestured to her pinky, but he shook his head. "Why not?"

"I can't make that promise. You wouldn't understand why." He refused to meet her eyes.

"But why? Don't you want everyone to live?" Maria demanded. Why was he being so difficult?

"Because, I know what's going to happen tomorrow." Yao lowered his head despondently. Ludwig looked at Maria questioningly, but she just fell to her knees to see Yao's face.

"Look, they won't kill you if you just give them the information they want!" Maria urged, desperate. Yao did not know the details of his torture, but maybe if he just cooperated, he would not have to find out.

"I can't do that! I am not so weak, so cowardly. It would be even more dishonorable. So that is why I cannot make that promise, aru."

This was not how she expected this would go. She glanced up at Ludwig for support, but he too, looked away. Ludwig understood Yao's tenacity as a loyal soldier, but Maria thought it was much more important that they should all live. Her heart ached as Yao tried to ease her concern with a spurious smile. How could she bear watching his "interrogation" tomorrow? She would much rather have Yao to hug, not his "honorable" memory. Her mind seemed on the verge of discord, and she began to tremble. Yao watched her sadly, and then told Ludwig, "I think you two should leave now." Ludwig nodded, and put his hand on Maria's shoulder. Mechanically, she rose to her feet and let Dark Lithuania take her hand and lead her out of the cell. After turning the key to lock the cell door, the three of them left the dungeon.

* * *

The next morning, just as she finished dressing into her leather uniform, there was a knock on Maria's guest room door. "Miss," Dark Lithuania called from the other side, "The interrogation is about to take place." When she came out into the hall, Dark Lithuania wore a sympathetic look on his face. "Are you sure you'd like to attend?" She simply nodded unemotionally. Plagued with nightmares all night, Maria felt as if she was totally brain dead. With nothing else to say, Dark Lithuania escorted her to the dungeon once more.

Instead of going to Yao's cell, her guide took her to separate stone room deeper within in the labyrinth under the Russian palace. Dark Prussia, Germany, Japan, Philippines, Russia and Britain were already inside, along with Gilbert, Ludwig, Kiku, Ivan and Arthur. The room was much bigger than the prison cells and the walls were much thicker, probably so the screams of the victims could not be heard. In the center of the room, Yao lay on wicked device: a rectangular wooden framed surface sloped off the ground with rollers at both ends which when turned stretched its victim causing excruciating pain. His wrists were fastened at one end above his head and his legs fastened at the other. Maria's palms grew sweaty and her stomach became queasy.

"Kesesese, Yao is it?" asked Dark Prussia. "You know what we want. We want to know Vertex Union military tactics, secret weapons, and plans for future strikes. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Though, I must say, I like the hard way."

"I'm not saying a word," repudiated Yao obstinately. Maria grew dizzy with anticipation, but Kiku spoke up.

"Do we really have to do it this way?" It was evident from his body language and tone of voice that he was strongly against the torture.

"Mercy makes you weak," Dark Russia stated as a reply, like it justified his actions. "Now, prisoner, this is your last chance to give us the information." Yao remained recalcitrant, and Maria gulped.

Dark Prussia laughed. "That's good. Now I get to have some fun," he said as he gripped the handle to the top roller of the rack. When he began to turn the handle and rotate the roller, Maria turned away and shut her eyes. She felt Dark Lithuania slip his hand into hers to comfort her. As she heard the rattling of the chains as they began to pull on Yao's wrists, she bit down on her lip to keep herself from screaming. Luckily, she stood in the back so no one but Dark Lithuania paid her any attention. Suddenly, Yao cried out in pain.

"Stop this!" She heard Kiku shout, but was held back by someone, probably Ludwig. Keeping her eyes closed, she heard Dark Prussia's crazy laugh of amusement, and wanted nothing more than to rip his head off and save her old friend.

"Let's not do this, he doesn't deserve this," Gilbert told his counterpart dismayed, but was brushed off lightly.

"Any enemy of Prussia deserves what's coming to them," replied Dark Prussia, who was still chuckling as he turned the handle. Yao continued to make strangled noises of pain that knotted Maria's stomach.

_POP!_

Yao let out an ear-splitting scream and Maria opened her eyes without meaning to. His left arm was still attached, thank God, so she guessed it had been dislocated. But the scream had roused all of her friends' objections. Kiku broke away from Ludwig and instantaneously shoved Dark Prussia away from the handle and shielded it with his own body as Dark Russia yelled, "Hey!"

"What's your problem?" growled Dark Prussia, getting in Kiku's face. The chains relaxed on Yao's wrists, and he took deep breaths, relieved. His left arm was definitely disjointed, and his right seemed about at that point.

"My problem? This debauchery is unacceptable!" Kiku exclaimed ardently. "Opponents should only be killed on the battlefield with a chance of survival. Treating them like this proves not how great we are, but how despicable." It was moments like these that made Maria fall head over heels for him. But now was not the time to be smitten.

"We weren't going to kill him," reassured Dark Japan, "Just performing an interrogation."

"Back on my Earth there are these great things called human rights," Arthur muttered sourly. Maria had not expected him to support Kiku's cause, but was glad he did. However, Arthur seemed torn by internal conflict when she glanced at him.

"How else are we going to get the information we need?" asked Dark Russia in exasperation.

"We could rip his arm off to show him how serious we are," responded Dark Prussia, "I would do the honors."

"No. If he hasn't given us information yet, then he won't ever," Maria finally spoke, "I think he's prepared to endure anything." Keeping poised, she let go of Dark Lithuania's hand to erase any notion of weakness.

"We'll see about that," murmured Dark Prussia. Kiku still stood stubbornly by the handle.

"Perhaps there is another vay to get your information?" asked Ludwig.

"If you mean more torturous vays, I'm sure I can think of something," his counterpart said, but Ludwig shook his head.

"Not vhat I meant…"

Then, out of nowhere, Dark Prussia's phone rang, and he answered while everyone else just stood and waited for him to finish. When he ended the conversation, he said to Yao, "Looks like you got lucky, prisoner. Hungary just reported the latest Vertex Union plans." Kiku exhaled and Maria relaxed her tense shoulders.

Dark Prussia continued, "She said that the Vertex Union plans on doing two simultaneous strikes—half of them will attack Britain while the other half will attack Japan in the next two days."

"Those bastards," Dark Japan clenched his fists, "They were going to attack while we were off guard, since we thought it would be a while before they would recover."

"It's actually a good plan," Dark Britain speculated, "Good thing we have our spy. Now they don't stand a chance."

"Kesesese, yes, we should depart immediately," Dark Prussia chuckled, "My brother, our counterparts and I will go with you, Britain, to defend your island." Dark Britain nodded.

"Then the Philippines, Russia and I will go to my islands, along with our counterparts," stated Dark Japan.

"It's settled then. We shall leave right away," Dark Russia said, "Lithuania, take the prisoner back to his cell." Dark Lithuania nodded and began to unchain Yao from the rack. As the others filed out, Maria hung back, unnoticed. She helped Dark Lithuania by undoing the constraints on Yao's ankles.

"Are you okay?" asked Maria with concern. Yao's arm fell limply at his side when he sat up.

"My arm is definitely dislocated. But, I'm not in too much pain anymore." However, the drained, worn eyes told a different story. When she pursed her lips, he said, "It's fine, Maria, I've been through worse, trust me."

"I can bandage that," Dark Lithuania reassured, helping him off the rack.

"Lithuania…" Maria trailed off, not sure how to ask her request, but he understood.

"Don't worry, miss," he said confidently, "I'll make sure mister Yao will be alright. I'll take care of him while you're away." Maria smiled and thanked him amiably. She really owed him a lot. When she turned to join the others, Yao called her name, and she looked back.

"Maria, be careful out there," he said with sincerity as he leaned on Dark Lithuania for support, and Maria went back to him, holding up her pinky. Using his good hand, Yao locked pinkies with hers. "I promise," they both said at the same time. She gave the two of them one more toothy grin and left the dungeon.

* * *

By twilight of that day, Maria, Kiku, Ivan, Dark Philippines, Japan, and Russia arrived in the Japanese country, whose cities were still bustling with life. The last time they had been here, the war had not yet escalated to the division of Genesis and Vertex Union nations. The guests of Dark Japan stayed in the same hotel that they had stayed in last time, the one near the conference building. At once, Maria, who was emotionally strung out, went directly to her room and fell into a deep slumber.

The next morning was uneventful, and she even got to sleep in for once. After eating lunch at a sushi bar with Kiku, the two of them decided to practice in the midday sun in a nearby park. Kiku sparred using his katana and Maria used her twin knives. People passing by stopped to watch for a few moments then continued on their way. After an hour or so, the Dark Philippines came over, and the two paused their training.

"Do you mind if I watch?" she asked, "Japan is consulting his generals so he doesn't need my help today." Maria shrugged and Kiku nodded so she sat criss-cross on the grass and the other two resumed sparring. Occasionally, she would give Maria useful tips. A while later, Maria called for a break, so Kiku asked the Dark Philippines if she would like a turn to practice. She was a little surprised at his offer, but accepted, so Maria sat under the shade of a beautiful cherry blossom tree, one of her favorite things about the country. The blossoms never failed to amaze her with their beauty and tranquility, and their scent always soothed her. Then she noticed Ivan sitting on a bench on the other end of the park. Almost subconsciously, she ambled to his serene bench.

Normally, the Russian scared the crap out of her, Maria had to admit to herself, but now he just seemed so lonely all by himself on the bench, that she felt she could approach him for once. When she sat down next to him, he gave her a startled look, but did not object.

"Hello," Maria greeted politely, "What are you doing here by yourself?"

"Oh, nothing, really," Ivan answered back just as civilly, "Just thinking about the war."

"Oh, are you worried?" A light breeze rustled the branches of the surrounding trees, and the wind carried the sounds of laughing children and chirping birds.

Ivan chuckled. "Not at all. I am Russia, after all, the greatest in the whole world." He gave her that knowing smile that sent shivers down her spine as usual.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Da, go ahead." He watched as a butterfly fluttered by, its gorgeous blue wings carrying its tiny body with such grace.

"Why did you join this war?" she ventured cautiously.

"To help the other me," he said matter-of-factly, as if that was all there was to it.

"Not because of any old grudges…?" Maria risked the question, but she could have easily stirred bitter reactions from him. The Cold War was frightening, she remembered, and wondered if that was a reason he was so eager to fight. Those years could have resulted in a nuclear war, and Maria recalled the day she signed the SEATO with Alfred. Ivan's expression darkened.

"You could say Alfred and I have never really gotten along," he replied vaguely, but implying a more serious issue.

"But, I mean, haven't you two patched things up by now? Aren't old scores already settled?" If those two could not forget their differences, getting home would be ten times more complicated for Maria. Now the wind felt a few degrees colder.

"I suppose, but as nations, we don't just forget our pasts." Ivan huffed, and Maria became annoyed. Couldn't everyone just pull it together for their sake?

"Maybe it's time to put the past aside." She crossed her arms.

"If you really feel that way, why are you even fighting?" Ivan shook his head at the hypocrisy. Perhaps he would rather be alone at this point.

"Because…" Maria was reluctant to tell the truth to Ivan; she was not completely sure yet whether he was trustworthy enough. But she thought about her oath to return everyone home safely, and everyone did in fact include Ivan as well. "Because I just want to go home. I want everyone to come back with me. You, too."

Now Ivan was bewildered. Never before had anyone told him that he mattered at all, except for maybe Belarus, but that did not count. Alone, that's what he had always been, hasn't he? Was this time really different? "Why?"

"Because if even one nation disappeared when we return home, our Earth would be incomplete. And I wouldn't forgive myself if that happened," Maria claimed earnestly. While the Russian never failed to creep her out, she truly did want him to stay alive as well.

"You don't mean that." Ivan was almost sure she was lying, she had to be. The tricky girl was trying to manipulate him, as the others always did. He did not forget the humiliation he felt when the German nation tricked him in the last great war, and that was not going to happen again.

"I'm totally serious. I mean every word," she said with an even voice, "So, Ivan, would you promise me something? Promise you'll stay alive?" This time, Ivan was beyond shocked, he was utterly perplexed. The wording of the question was so confusing because it was so simple. There was no hidden meaning, no room for deception. Maria held out her pinky. "Pinky promise?"

"By making this promise, am I supposed to save all of the nations from our world?" Ivan narrowed his eyes.

"Nope. Just stay alive, like I said. While I would be ever grateful if you would help me by helping them, I'm not going to hold you responsible for protecting them. That'll be my job." The sweet scent of the cherry blossoms comforted her and Maria knew she was doing the right thing.

"And Kiku's job, too?"

"Huh?"

"He saved Yao from losing his arms and legs. That was good of him…" Ivan's voice grew distant, and so Maria brought him back to reality.

"So pinky promise then?"

"Da," Ivan said finally. He held out his own pinky and the two completed their promise. Maybe, for once, he would not have to feel the loneliness that had always lingered over him.

Maria stood up to go back to training with Kiku, but before she left, she said, "Thanks, Ivan, that really means a lot to me. Every one of my friends means a lot to me, so don't break your promise." When she was gone, Ivan stared down at his pinky thoughtfully. A drifting cherry blossom flower floated down and landed gently on his lap. Did he really have a new friend? The word made him feel almost…happy.

* * *

Maria awoke to Kiku shaking her shoulders. "Maria! Wake up! The Vertex Union is on our shores!" She jumped out of bed immediately and grabbed her bulletproof vest and leather suit. Kiku was already dressed in signature white military uniform with his katana at hand.

"I'll meet you in the lobby," she told him and as soon he was gone she quickly changed and armed herself with her twin knives. The clock read 4:33 am. When she dashed to the lobby, she heard civilians screaming outside.

"The others are already down at the beach," Kiku told her, grabbing her hand, and the two raced off with Kiku leading the way. As they ran through the city, the citizens of Japan were in chaos in the streets, and Maria heard the gunfire and explosions in the distance and saw smoke pillowing in large columns in the sky. "American forces landed on the beaches just moments ago, and invaded the cities."

"How did they get so close unnoticed?" Maria exclaimed.

"They came in submarines, but I don't know why the radar systems didn't detect them sooner!" Then Kiku saw an abandoned taxi and told Maria to hop in. He drove like a crazy person (even though he often complained Feliciano's driving, Maria thought that this was a reasonable exception), and in no time they had arrived at the east coast of Japan. When they got out of the car, the two of them joined their armed allies facing their opponents of the Vertex Union: Dark America, China, Hong Kong, and Alfred, along with Dark Vietnam, Korea, Taiwan and Thailand. As Kiku and Maria took their place next to the Genesis powers—Dark Japan, Russia, Philippines and Ivan —Dark America was in the middle of boasting.

"Hey Japan! Like my new stealth mode submarines? Bet you didn't see us coming," he bragged, resting his nail-covered baseball bat on his shoulder.

"You'll regret ever setting foot on my land!" shouted Dark Japan furiously. He raised his katana, but Dark Russia stopped him.

"Leave America to me," he said flashing his iron pipe, "He's mine." Dark America scowled at him, and the two rivals charged each other, swinging their unique weapons. As they clashed, Dark China swiftly attacked Dark Japan, slicing upward, and the Japanese man jumped backward, the blade only inches from his face. Ivan, remembering his conversation with Maria, hesitated to attack Alfred, but then the Dark Philippines unleashed a flurry of jabs on the American, who dodged and tried to shoot his pistol, but at such a close ranged with such a fast opponent, the gun was practically obsolete. Instead, Ivan fought Dark Vietnam, who wielded a metal spear and was light on her feet. She was indeed a match for Ivan, who was used to overpowering his opponent with brute force, but Dark Vietnam pranced around Ivan's strikes with fluent movements.

Dark Taiwan and Hong Kong came at Kiku from both sides, but Kiku was skilled enough to take on two opponents at once. He was able to check Dark Hong Kong's curved dagger with his katana while still keeping Dark Taiwan and her tonfas at bay. Meanwhile, Maria, whose luck seemed to have run out, found herself in the same situation. Dark Thailand with his dual swords was on her left and Dark Korea with his tsukurigama, or chain scythe consisting of two hand-held scythes connected to each other by a long chain, was on her right. Kiku could stand two opponents, but Maria was not sure how long she would last. As Dark Thailand lashed out with one of his swords, Maria crouched to the ground fast, and swept her leg around in a circular motion, tripping both Dark Thailand and Korea. However, Dark Korea landed a back hand spring and immediately flung one of his scythes at Maria. She sidestepped and grabbed a hold of the chain as it flew by her, and yanked it towards her. Dark Korea, who had been holding the other scythe connected by the chain, lost his balance and got a face full of sand. Before he could do anything, she pulled the chain scythe out of his hands and threw it into the water. That went smoothly enough. When she turned away from the ocean, she realized her mistake of taking her eyes off of Dark Thailand. He was lunging towards her, and Maria ducked at the last possible moment, using his momentum against him. Dark Thailand tripped over her bent down form and splashed into the salt water.

When he emerged from the surface of the water, Dark Korea called to him, "Give me a sword!" and Dark Thailand tossed one of his dual blades to his comrade. This time, they synchronized their attacks on Maria, whose brain went on overdrive trying to anticipate their moves so she could dodge them.

Further down the beach, Dark Japan fighting an even match with Dark China. "You traitor!" Dark China cried as he sliced his broad sword, "How could you? You should be fighting alongside your brothers!" Both of them were breathing heavily, crossing blades, not being able to overcome the other. Losing was not an option for Dark Japan, for his homeland and his honor were at stake.

Dark America swung his bat at Dark Russia, whose block was just seconds too slow. The protruding nails cut his skin and lips as the bat smashed into his exposed right cheek. Blood poured out of his mouth and streamed down the side of his face. "That's for all those things you said at the meeting!" Dark America spat, patting his bloodstained bat. Enraged, Dark Russia gripped his iron pipe and assailed the American with even more ferocity. They carried out their fight mindlessly, as if there was nothing human about them, each trying to crush the other to a pulp like savage beasts.

Ivan was not having a fun time. Dark Vietnam tactfully made calculated strikes, jabbing at openings in Ivan's guard, and then withdrawing right out of his reach. She had already inflicted several cuts, but none deep enough to be too much of a hindrance to Ivan. At first, he rashly tried to counterattack by swinging his iron pipe erratically, but then realized the pattern in her attacks. By retaining a keen eye, he waited for the right opportunity, reading her movements. When he foresaw her next move, he waited for Dark Vietnam to thrust her spear, and then he parried and wrapped his fingers around it. Pulling the spear inward, he brought her into his range and smacked her with the pipe on the side of her head. She crumpled to the ground, unconscious. A smirk played on the edge of his lips. Russia is still the best in the world.

Beads of sweat clung to Maria's forehead as she deflected the endless income of strikes from Dark Korea and Thailand's swords with her knives, but with every blow, their blades grew closer and closer to breaking her guard. Her arms grew exhausted, and she was no longer thinking as sharply, and her opponents knew it. While Maria averted Dark Korea's stab at her throat, Dark Thailand circled around her slyly, coming up from behind her. Then, what Maria considered the dirtiest trick she had ever seen, Dark Thailand slashed his sword while her back was to him, cutting a deep gash into her left calf. The back of her leg ignited with a searing pain that surged through her body. She felt the blood gush down her ankle as she fell to her knees, burying her hands in the grainy sand. Biting her lip, she suppressed a scream and tried to ignore the wound, knowing that to give up now was to forfeit her life. Maria made an effort to get to her feet, but the slightest movement of her leg caused the emanating pain to intensify, becoming insufferable. Even crawling was impossible for her. When she raised her head, Dark Thailand and Dark Korea were standing over her, contemplating her triumphantly. Then the most disturbing smile crept onto Dark Korea's lips. His grip tightened on his sword, and his eyes told Maria exactly what he was planning to do next. The face of one of her closest friends, the face of a man she knew so well, was the face of the man who was going to kill her? It was unfathomable, but she knew that in her defenseless state, he would do it, and he was going to do it. Fear overwhelmed her, and her hysterical cry for help was automatic.

"_KIKU!_"

* * *

From the Author: Yay! Chapter 7 is finished! These next chapters will have a lot of twists and turns, so stay tuned folks :) The rising action is coming together quite smoothly, I'd say. If this chapter really caught your attention, please leave a review while you're here! I'd be ever grateful just like Maria, pinky promise )


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: Do not own hetalia!

Note: Warning! Violence in this chapter, so get ready! This is probably one of my longest chapters so far, but I think it flows really fast. So, without further ado, enjoy!

* * *

While the stealth submarines landed on the coast of Japan, a second strike team of the Vertex Union reached the coast of England, but this time, the Genesis Powers were ready for them. With his black magic, Dark Britain was able to sense the submarines regardless of their stealth mode. Dark Britain, Prussia and Germany, along with their counterparts, stood along the sand, waiting for their enemies to show themselves as the submarines beached. Dark Spain was the first to do so, jumping out of the underwater vehicle with wielding his battle axe. Dark Romano, France, Austria and Hungary followed and then Lovino, Francis, and Antonio emerged from the submarine as well. Scowling, the invaders came to face their enemies.

"France, haven't you learned your lesson by now?" Dark Britain sneered. "There's no way a prat like you could even hope to defeat me."

"We'll see about that!" Dark France yelled back, raising his sword in the air before springing towards his most hated rival. He lashed out at the Briton, who created a translucent shield that radiated a bright green light using his magic. But then, to everyone's surprise, upon impact by Dark France's blade, his manifested shield shattered in to thousands of glowing fragments that began to disintegrate and fade away. _Bloody hell_, Dark Britain thought wretchedly, _it's happening again!_ Now he was forced to draw his own sword, which he had not used in mortal combat for a while, to fend off the Frenchman. Dark France, who had much more recent sword practice, was easily overcoming Dark Britain, until Arthur decided it was time he got involved. He bought time for his counterpart to catch his breath and recover by throwing his own brilliant spells at the enemy. However, his opponent was no amateur; Dark France deftly avoided the blasts, having been doing so in all his battles against Dark Britain.

Dark Germany wasted no time and swiftly attacked Lovino with his lithe whip, but Antonio came to his aide. However, even with the two of them working together, neither Lovino nor his boss could get anywhere near the German for his whip prevented them from advancing on him. If Antonio tried to move in on the offensive, he was punished with a stinging lash. In the mean time, Dark Romano attempted the same on Ludwig, who used his whip in a similar fashion as his counterpart. Yet Dark Romano was able to get closer to Ludwig, who noticed that he no longer used a gun for a weapon, but a double edged sword instead. Dark Italy had also traded his gun for an identical weapon because with the bulletproof vests everyone wore, the guns became useless unless the aim was perfect, but the time needed to aim was not granted on the battlefield. Behind the submarines, Feliciano watched the gripping battle from the safety of his hiding spot. The Vertex Union agreed that he should stay out of the fighting or else he would only get himself killed. They all knew it was no use trying to put Feli in combat.

As Ludwig cracked his whip at his opponent, Gilbert's signature blue sword collided with Dark Spain's heavy axe. The albino noted how his enemy's fighting style was just like his old ally Antonio's, yet dueling him was much harder because this Spaniard had more viciousness in his strikes. It was as if he fought with a passion of deep loathing, his eyes reflecting the rancor he felt towards Gilbert, or rather, towards Prussia. Normally, Gilbert had the upper hand in battle, but that was back on his Earth, where the nations were not really out to kill each other. To his astonishment, he had to put more effort into his defensive techniques than he usually did, and it was strange to him because before, he rarely had to fight defensively. Even still, Gilbert was all too aware that he was not in danger of being outmatched by Dark Spain, and devised a plan to wear out his opponent until the Spaniard could no longer keep pace with him. His plan, however, was about to fail.

Hatred and vengeance. That is all that Dark Italy had in mind when he crept up from behind Gilbert with his double edged sword. His Germany and Prussia had sent his life spiraling down into misery, and so Dark Italy had come to fear and despise the German Brothers. The bullying nations had threatened him and tormented him ever since the close of World War II, and now he concluded that the only way for him to be at peace was to end them. Once and for all. It was because of those bastards that he could never be as happy as his counterpart Feliciano always was, so they deserved to die, right? Dark Italy's mind was a wreck, his thought process distorted by his anger, and so could not distinguish Gilbert from Dark Prussia. To him in his hectic state of mind, every Prussian was responsible for his animosity. Even this one.

Dark Romano used his slightness and speed to his advantage. With apprehension, Ludwig predicted that at any moment, his enemy would elude his whip and come within a dangerously close range, and he was right. When Ludwig cracked his whip once more, Dark Romano dodged and sprinted forward while his hand was extended, leaving his body expose. He thrust his sword as soon as he could reach him and Ludwig was barely able to sidestep out of the way, the blade cutting so close it tore his uniform. Now Dark Romano was in the vulnerable position, already in the motion of propelling forward. Ludwig took the opportunity and threw his fist into his left temple, knocking the Italian out cold.

When he turned away from his unconscious opponent, Ludwig saw Dark Italy brandishing his double edge sword, about to murder his brother, who was too busy fighting Dark Spain. Time seemed to slow, and adrenaline pumped Ludwig's heart even faster. He ran as fast as he could, thinking only about saving Gilbert. Originally, he planned to tackle Dark Italy, who raised his sword over his head in an arc, but the Italian saw him coming out of the corner of his eye. His primal instincts taking over, Dark Italy switched the direction of his weapon to defend himself. When he slashed downward, the blade dug deep into Ludwig's shoulder, causing him stop in his tracks and stumble. As Dark Italy pulled his sword from Ludwig's body, the blonde staggered backwards and fell to the ground at Gilbert's feet. Gilbert, who had just landed a strong kick square in Dark Spain's chest, making him lose balance and land on his rear, turned around just as his brother toppled over. His eyes widened as he watched the blood pool around Ludwig's torso in absolute horror.

"_WEST!_" he cried frantically as he knelt by his brother. The blood just kept flowing from his wound and Gilbert did not know what to do. Then Dark Spain got to his feet, and Dark Italy took a step closer. Gilbert stood over Ludwig protectively, his face one of pure rage, and growled, "Don't come any closer!" Dark Italy and Spain exchanged glances, and then both attacked at the same time. Gilbert fought like an animal with unprecedented determination to stop anyone from laying a finger on his brother.

Dark Prussia chuckled forebodingly when his opponent charged him with his rapier. He could not have hoped for a better chance to crush Dark Austria, as he had been meaning to for a while now. How foolish of the piano-playing weakling to think he could survive a duel with the all-powerful, awesome Prussia. How silly of the Austrian to actually believe that Hungary ever loved him. These were the thoughts that floated listlessly in Dark Prussia's mind as the Austrian raised his sword against him. The arrogant Prussian lazily blocked his enemy's attacks, deciding to play with his food before he ate. He let Dark Austria attempt to strike him futilely until his opponent surprised him by faking a jab to the face and then driving his foot into Dark Prussia's gut as he ducked. Outraged by the humiliating blow, Dark Prussia began to fight back seriously, evidently outmatching his four-eyed foe. By holding his sword with one hand, the Prussian checked the Austrian's slash and used his free hand to uppercut him under the chin. When Dark Austria tottered after being hit, Dark Prussia ran his sword right through his midsection, impaling him gruesomely.

Blood stained Dark Austria's clothes, and he clutched his wound as he hit the ground, taking rapid, raspy breathes, desperately clinging to life. The victorious albino flashed his sharp pearly whites in an evil grin as he looked down at his prey. "Your life is mine."

Suddenly, Dark Hungary appeared out of nowhere, stepping in between Dark Prussia and Dark Austria. Dark Prussia raised an eyebrow and frowned at his spy.

"Wait!" she pleaded, "Don't kill him!" Her eyes were wild and her voice urgent.

"Why not? I've been waiting for this moment for a long time, so give me one good reason he should live," he demanded impatiently.

"Because…because…" Dark Hungary failed to come up with a legitimate reason, and Dark Prussia narrowed his eyes in suspicion. He studied her green eyes as she struggled to give him an answer, and a shocking realization came over him.

"You…you love him!" he accused wrathfully, "I can see it in your eyes, you traitorous bitch!" Dark Hungary's eyes became unreadable, and she set her lips straight. Then she glared back at him odiously, knowing that it was useless to keep up her act.

"Of course I love him. As if I could ever fall in love with someone like you! In fact, this whole time I've hated you with all my heart. The only reason I ever pretended to be on your side was for my own safety, and Austria's. If you knew that I was in love with him, you would have killed him right away, so I tried to create immunity for us by being your 'spy.' But the entire I felt nothing but contempt for you." Her voice was wrought with abhorrence as she spoke. "I've only ever loved Austria," she proclaimed defiantly. Enraged by her true betrayal, Dark Prussia sank his blade into the center of her collarbone without reluctance. She did not even see it coming. Time froze before Dark Austria's eyes as he saw the sword jut out of Dark Hungary's back. She coughed blood that splattered on Dark Prussia's uniform, and fell before him, never to move again.

"_NO!_" cried Dark Austria, but he was still unable to move. His own wound threatened his life, but all he could think about was his beloved.

"Foolish girl. You could have had it all, but you succumbed to your emotions," Dark Prussia muttered, "Love is the greatest weakness of all. Look where it got you."

"You monster!" shouted Dark Austria from the ground. Losing Dark Hungary was the most painful thing he had ever experienced, even more so than the wound in his stomach.

"Oh, don't worry," Dark Prussia wiped the blood off his face and licked his finger tips, "You'll be joining her soon."

Dark Spain saw Dark Austria's plight, and looked back and forth between his current opponent, Gilbert, and the other Prussia.

"Go!" Dark Italy shouted at him, "I'll handle things here." Dark Spain nodded, put his strong legs to use and dashed with amazing speed. He swung his axe at Dark Prussia just as he was about to decapitate the powerless Austrian. As the two clashed once more, Feliciano knew he had to help Dark Austria. The Italian witnessed the horrendous slaughter of poor Dark Hungary, and was traumatized. Never before had he seen such an atrocity, but when Dark Spain came to Dark Austria's aide, Feliciano collected his thoughts and used his own speed. He ran straight for the fallen Austrian, threw him over his shoulders, and sprinted back. He would have liked to retrieve Dark Hungary's body as well, but Feliciano could not carry them both. When they were safely inside one of the submarines, Feliciano found a first aid kit and began to bandage and put pressure on Dark Austria's bloody wound. His patient, who was utterly distraught, sobbed, but Feliciano did not think he was pathetic. He himself wanted to cry, but focused on stopping the flow of blood coming from his midsection.

Arthur thought he was doing an impeccable job fighting two versions of France. Neither opponent was able to get within fifteen feet close to him and his counterpart. Dark France knew this battle was lost for the Vertex Union, and that it was time for them retreat right away. He called for his allies to return to the submarines, and then he and Francis turned on their heels and loped themselves. The others left their opponents and jumped in after them, and the Vertex Union submerged under the blue waters and disappeared rather quickly.

"West!" Gilbert exclaimed as he turned his blood-covered brother around on his back slowly and propped his head on his knees. Ludwig's pulse still beat faintly and he had lost so much blood that he had become unconscious. "He needs medical attention!" Gilbert called to the others. He removed the outer layer of his uniform and pressed it against Ludwig's wound.

"Of course, we can take him to the nearest hospital," Dark Britain reassured, already dialing an ambulance. "But he won't be able to stay there very long. With the invasion, my hospitals will be packed, I imagine."

"As long as they fix his wound," Gilbert said, calming down, "Then we can transfer him to our base in Moscow. There, Yao can work his magic."

"The prisoner?" ask Dark Britain curiously.

"Yeah, he's good with medical stuff…" Gilbert trailed off, distracted by his concern for his brother.

Dark Prussia stood staring down at Dark Hungary's dead body. Even in death her long hair was beautiful, as was her lineaments. If the red color had not ruined her appearance, she would have seemed as if she was sleeping. "Behold the fate of anyone who dares defy me," he whispered. Then he went to help his counterpart move his brother to the ambulance.

* * *

"_KIKU!"_

At the cry of his name, Kiku recognized immediately the desperation in Maria's voice. He was able to delay his opponents by kicking up sand in Dark Taiwan's face while jabbing Dark Hong Kong in the forehead with the butt of his katana. Normally, he would not resort to such dirty tricks in a match, but Maria needed his help right away. Darting down the beach, he saw Dark Korea with his dual sword standing over Maria, who had blooding flowing down the gash in her calf.

The Dark Philippines also heard Maria's alarming scream, and decided that she needed to conclude her own fight with Alfred. So far, she had been throwing strikes at critical points in his body, but Alfred dodged most of them. When he had the chance, the American made his own punches, but the Dark Philippines was too nimble. She swiped her knives high at Alfred's head, knowing his reflex would be to duck, then drove her knee up into his chest immaculately. Wobbling backwards, he coughed and hugged his chest, but the Dark Philippines had already begun rushing in the other direction.

Maria could barely breathe as she met Dark Korea's nebulous eyes, his expression soulless. Her ears rang with apprehension… it could not end like this, could it? But when she searched his eyes for the slightest hint of mercy, there was none, and everything seemed to fade away around her. Flinching, she looked away when Dark Korea raised his sword above his head. She did not want the last thing she ever saw to be the accursed blade descending down upon her. Then she waited for two dreadful seconds for the blade to snuff out her life. Instead of being sliced in half, Maria heard the clang of metal on metal and looked up to see Kiku miraculously standing before her, blocking Dark Korea's sword with his own katana.

"Kiku…" she said his name softly in wondrous amazement. Maria was sure she was a goner, but here was her white knight coming to rescue her and she remembered why she loved him so. Kiku pushed Dark Korea back, and Dark Thailand came to his comrade's side. Then Dark Taiwan and Hong Kong surrounded them from the other side, facing Maria. Disconcerted, Kiku did not know which opponents to face. Maybe he could hold off two enemies, but four was really pushing it, and Maria could not help him in her condition. How was he supposed to defend her from every side? The task was impossible alone.

But then, Kiku was suddenly not alone. The Dark Philippines broke the circle of Asian adversaries and stood on the other side of Maria, virtually back-to-back with Kiku. Together, the two of them kept their foes from ever getting close to finishing Maria off. The Dark Philippines proved to be quite the match for Dark Taiwan and Hong Kong while Kiku expertly took care of Dark Thailand and Korea as Maria just gazed at them in incredulity. Her heart swelled as she watched Kiku fight with such resilience for her, but her counterpart showing up for her cause astonished her completely. After seeing the Dark Philippines lend her support, Maria decided that maybe she was not so bad after all. Their fiery spirit was present in both girls, but perhaps it just showed itself in different forms within each of them. Even though the numbers were in their favor, their adversaries were clearly being surmounted by Kiku and the Dark Philippines.

Dark America was not as ignorant as his counterpart. He could tell with a fleeting glance while in combat with Dark Russia that his allies were not going to last much longer. The Genesis Powers were never going to surrender the Japanese islands, not until Dark Japan himself died, and that was a complicated feat in itself. Damn. He was so close to victory this time. Then, looking at the smoke columns rising from the fires set upon the cities, Dark America thought, _maybe my work is done already_. His goal of enervated the Genesis Powers had gone underway; the attack had sapped the strength of the Japanese nation while proving that the Vertex Union could still win this war. It was time to leave before his luck ran out entirely. While Dark Russia recovered from his last blow, he gave the signal to fall back to the submarines. When the Vertex Union had all abandoned their duels in one piece, the submarines retreated back into the Pacific Ocean. But Dark America felt as if he was the one who won this battle.

Dark Japan tried to give chase as they left, but abruptly, his stomach lurched and he went down on his hands and knees. The damn American had really done a number on his country this time, and he was paying for it now. As the fires throughout Japan burned on, the aches in his body grew worse. The Dark Philippines ran to him and knelt down.

"Sir! Are you all right?" she asked, offering to help him up, but he declined her assistance and slowly stood up himself.

"I-I'm fine," he replied, clearing his throat. Further along the beach, Kiku had taken off his white military jacket and wrapped it around Maria's leg as best he could, the jacket turning a deep red color as it soaked in her blood. However, she was unable to stand and felt extremely lightheaded and drained, her wounded leg throbbing.

"Thanks, Kiku, you really save my life this time," she murmured weakly as he lifted her off the sand and carried her to where the Genesis Powers clustered around Dark Japan.

"Hush," he whispered back, "Don't talk. We need to get you to a hospital."

"Barely any of the hospitals around here are still operational. American forces destroyed most of them," Dark Japan said, sensing it was true.

"Yao can help her, he's an excellent doctor," Kiku told his counterpart.

"Okay, I can send you guys in one of my fastest jets—I think at least a few of them are still left—to Moscow. I'll see to it that medical assistants are aboard," Dark Japan said, "Philippines, go with them."

"Are you sure?" she asked, frowning.

"Hai, I need to tend to my nation, so I need you to inform me of any decisions made in the meetings. I trust you can represent my best interests?"

"Of course," she saluted him as he phoned his air force and requested a jet immediately.

* * *

It had become routine for the Vertex Union to recuperate in the most secure country, which was America. The recent battles had been especially harsh for some of the nations, who suffered heavy damages. Dark Austria had been sent to the same hospital that Dark Canada resided in, but was sent to the emergency unit for he required extensive care for his injuries. When the doctors were finished cleaning and stitching, Dark Austria still would not allow any visitors, except for Feliciano. The Italian was a bit confused to learn that he was the only one Dark Austria wanted to see. But he knew that the Austrian needed a friend now more than ever, so Feliciano sat by his bedside to keep him company.

For a while, neither of them spoke, Dark Austria staring blankly at the ceiling. But then he said, "You saw the whole thing, didn't you?"

"Oh, um, yeah," Feliciano answered, the gravity of the other's voice making him shift in his seat uncomfortably. But he wished he had not seen everything. The death of the other Hungary was upsetting enough, but watching his own counterpart try to kill his best friend? When he saw Ludwig's bloody form fall to the ground, he could barely collect his thoughts. Feliciano wanted to help him so badly it hurt, but his friend was on the Genesis Powers. Even now, he hoped with all his heart that Ludwig was alright, but he did not know for sure, and worry strained the back of his mind.

"Just tell me the truth then," Dark Austria continued, "It's my fault she's dead, isn't it?"

Feliciano knew exactly who he was talking about; he had seen the blade pierce right through her body. "It's not your fault!"

"Yes it is…she died because I was weak." His voice was empty, hollow. Lying there, he seemed so crushed, as if someone had sucked his entire soul out of his body.

"She did what she did because she loved you, but you can't blame yourself," Feliciano consoled gently. He did not know what else to say, but he could only how much the other nation was hurting inside.

Dark Austria did not answer. But when Feliciano looked at him again, he saw something flicker in his eyes, but could not name what it was. Could it be vengeance?

When he left the room, he found his brother, Lovino, waiting for him outside. "The Union decided that everyone who is able should return to their respective countries to secure home affairs. America says it'll put us back in tip top shape, and we're going to need that for the next battle."

* * *

Within the next 12 hours, both Maria and Ludwig were successfully transferred back to the Russian palace in Moscow, where the Dark Baltics had set up makeshift hospital rooms for Yao to work in because Dark Russia did not like the idea of Yao leaving the palace to use a real hospital. Yao went to work right away, with Dark Lithuania as his assistant, cleaning their wounds and then stitching them. While he administered blood transfusions to both of his patients, Maria slipped in and out of consciousness. Finally her condition stabilized, and when she came to, she saw Kiku standing by her bedside and Dark Prussia sitting in a chair, legs propped up on a counter.

"Well, look who finally decided to wake up for real," Dark Prussia grinned mockingly.

Maria rubbed her eyes, and then noticed the IV needle in her arm. Her leg was wrapped in bandages, numbed so she felt no pain. Yao was not around anymore, so he was probably taking care of Ludwig in another room. "Were you guys here the whole time?"

"I just got here a few minutes ago," Dark Prussia said, "But Kiku never left, even when the prisoner was stitching your wound up." Maria looked up at Kiku, who smiled back at her, but Dark Prussia kept talking. "Speaking of which, how'd you manage to get such a nasty gash in your calf? I thought you were good enough at close combat, but I guess not."

Maria shot him an annoyed glare. "Oh, shut up. It was a dirty trick!"

"Kesesese, you're so cute when you're angry like that," Dark Prussia chuckled and winked at her. A look of irritation flashed on Kiku's face briefly, but Dark Prussia did not miss it. "Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot Maria's already taken, right Kiku?" he asked tauntingly. "You've already claimed her heart and soul for yourself."

Maria and Kiku blushed and turned the same shade of red.

"No, that's not—"

"I never said—"

But Dark Prussia just laughed. "Don't bother trying to hide it. Anyway, Kiku, my brother and I are going to raid Italy tomorrow night. I heard that the Vertex Union sent all their allies back to their nations, so this is the perfect time to stage an attack. No way am I passing up this golden opportunity. My counterpart isn't coming because he wants to stay with his injured brother, so I want you to come with us. What do you say?"

"He'd love to go," Maria answered for Kiku, who was caught off guard.

"I would?" Then Kiku saw Maria nod slightly, "I mean, I'll go."

"Great. I'll tell my brother," Dark Prussia said as he stood up and headed out. "I'll send someone to tell you when we leave." The door closed behind him.

Kiku raised an eyebrow at Maria. "Why do you want me to go on the raid?"

"Because Feliciano and Lovino are going to be there. The Prussia and Germany from this world won't show any mercy, and they might kill them too if you don't go to stay their hand. I would go, but I can't fight like this," she gestured to her bandaged leg.

"You're right," Kiku concurred, "I'll go and make sure they stay alive." Just as Maria was about to thank him, there was a knock on the door and Ivan peeked his head inside.

"Oh, sorry. I hope I'm not interrupting," he said after seeing the two of them alone.

"It's all good," Maria sighed. Ivan stepped in, followed by Yao, whose arm seemed to be almost fully healed, but she was not surprised. Nations healed fast; they had to, or else they would not last very long in wars. However, if the arm had been ripped off completely as Dark Prussia suggested, he would have had to live with only one arm. As Yao checked the bandages on Maria's leg, Kiku asked, "I hope Ludwig's alright? I heard the other Italy almost killed him."

"He's doing a lot better thanks to me, aru," Yao replied. "That's true. Seeing someone who looked like Feliciano try to kill him must have really shaken him. But he's still unconscious so I can't say for sure."

"I'm so glad he's alive. Otherwise, he'd have broken our promise," Maria exhaled in relief.

"I hope our promise still stands," Ivan looked at Maria, who nodded back with a small smile. But Kiku was a little shocked.

"He made the promise as well?" he asked. Ivan frowned at his negative tone of voice.

"Yes, he did," Maria said, emphasizing the sincerity in her own voice. For the promise to hold, everyone had to forget their past quarrels, including Kiku. He had never really trusted the Russian before, and she could understand his reluctance now, but now it was just too important for them to work together. She threw a look at Kiku that said _make nice with him!_ In response, Kiku sighed and offered to shake hands with Ivan as a sign of goodwill. As they shook hands in a pact of mutual tolerance, Maria beamed.

"So everyone here has made the promise and almost all of us on the Genesis Powers too. Now we're just missing Arthur," she said, clapping her hands.

"About him," Ivan pondered, "I think he's hiding something."

"Really? Why?" Kiku asked. Maria did know what he could possibly be keeping from them, but then again, she had not been reaching out to him recently.

"Well, at all the meetings, he's been fidgety, and he rarely talks to any of us except for his counterpart," Ivan explained. "His expressions are always troubled."

"You're right," Kiku thought carefully, "He hasn't been his usual self lately. I wonder what's wrong with him…" Pursing her lips, Maria could not think of anything that would be a reason for Arthur to become so detached. Then Dark Lithuania knocked softly on the door and came inside.

"Pardon me, but Prussia wishes me to tell Kiku that they will be leaving for Italy soon and that he should prepare for the journey." Kiku nodded, said goodbye and get well to Maria, and followed Dark Lithuania out the room.

"Well," Yao said, straightening up after checking her leg, "You should be all better in no time. You're much younger than I am, and I healed reasonably fast, so you should too. We'll let you rest up now." He gave her an encouraging smile and left the room with Ivan. Her mind wandered and flashed back to when Kiku saved her life on the beach. As the memory played itself, she fell asleep on the plush bed with a tender smile.

* * *

In the dead of night, Maria awoke to the rasp knocking on her door. While she shook the drowsiness off of herself, Dark Britain revealed himself when he came in and turned on the lights. When her eyes grew sharper and she became more alert, she noticed a difference in Dark Britain's posture. On his face sat a curved grin that left Maria deeply unsettled. His gaze seemed fractured, as if it was too focused or not focused at all, she could not tell which. In his hand he held a cupcake with pink frosting and blue sprinkles.

"Um…hello?" Maria greeted nervously.

"Ello, I just wanted to make sure you were okay," greeted Dark Britain, almost too cordially, "And to give you this little pity present." He held out the cupcake to her, and she eyed it suspiciously. No way in hell would she trust this guy. Not only did he call her traitor, but his persona gave her a terribly bad feeling.

"It's poison," she said accusingly, pushing the pastry away from her face.

Dark Britain chuckled, "Now why would I do that? Oh, well, suit yourself." He took a bite out of his homemade sweet. So it was not poisoned after all, but better safe than sorry.

"So, why are you really here? I doubt you're actually here to tell me get well soon," Maria stipulated, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You're very to-the-point. But that's fine with me," Dark Britain's voice suddenly turned serious, tainted with anger. "I know you're up to something. You and your friends aren't as devoted to the Genesis cause as you pretend to be."

"You're just paranoid," Maria huffed back, once again masking her fears.

"Oh really? I don't think so. I can tell there's something off about your friends, and I think you're the one pulling the strings. I'll give you credit, you're a good actress, but I'm not just any nation. As the British nation, I can see what others cannot. I just want to make this clear: If you get in my way, I'll end you." He talked with a dangerous edge, eyes glinting maliciously, and the two of them glared at each other.

"I'm not afraid of you," Maria said evenly.

"Well, you should be," Dark Britain growled. "You can mess with everyone else's heads, but just stay away from Arthur." Maria's eyes narrowed.

"What are you holding over Arthur? Why are you trying so hard to make sure I don't 'get' to him?" Maria demanded. So Ivan was right, the Britains did have a secret, and she was determined to find out what it was.

"It's nothing you need to worry about," he glowered, "Just worry about your own life first." On that note, he hastily stalked out of the room and shut the door. Maria took a shaky breath and her bravado faded away. Looking down, she realized that her hands were trembling under the covers. Dark Britain was not someone she wanted as an enemy. He was dangerous and threatening, almost as bad as Dark Prussia. And then there was Arthur who was keeping a secret, and Kiku who was about to go on a raid in which Feliciano and Lovino's lives were at risk. Her goals seemed to have shifted since they first got here. Now staying alive was the objective and getting back home was just a bonus. She felt like she was stranded in the middle of the ocean, with nothing but thrashing waves all around. Funny, she had never been afraid of drowning until now.

* * *

Meanwhile, Dark Russia stood on the balcony overlooking the ostentatious backyard with Dark Japan, who had just flown in and arrived moments ago after seeing to it that his country was well enough for him to leave and after rallying up his troops by putting the hatred in their hearts. They leaned on the stone railing, looking up at the brilliant full moon above. The air was quite chilly, but neither of them cared; they each had enough of a fire within them to warm the entire palace.

"That was humiliating," Dark Japan spat with acrimony.

"We won the fight," Dark Russia pointed out.

"Did we? Even though the Vertex Union retreated, I still feel like I'm the one who lost," Dark Japan uttered regretfully. "I hate this shame. I need retribution."

"That can be arranged," Dark Russia gave him a knowing smile, "Tell you what. I'll lend you half of my best fighter planes and bombers so you can have your revenge." Dark Japan straightened up, getting down to business.

"Are you being serious?"

"Da, I want to see that accursed American break down and lose his sanity."

"Well, then we should strike as soon as possible, while they won't see it coming," the Japanese man advocated. The notion of his payback gave him a sense of excited satisfaction.

"Let's not just attack America—that's too predictable. Let's strike him where it hurts," Dark Russia said with a mischievous halfsmile. The other nation cocked his head, not understanding what his ominous intentions.

"And where would that be?"

"Canada," Dark Russia answered simply. Dark Lithuania stepped onto the balcony to present the two nations with authentic Russian wine, classier than ordinary vodka. After they took their glasses, Dark Lithuania gave a slight bow then quickly went away back to his chores.

"An attack like that could kill him," Dark Japan commented casually.

"All the more painful for America. I can't wait to relish in his suffering," chuckled Dark Russia. "We'll plan for tomorrow night then." Dark Japan nodded and then raised his glass to his comrade.

"To victory," he said, making a toast.

"And to the annihilation of our enemies," finished Dark Russia. _Clink_.

* * *

From the Author: Wow, I can't believe I'm already on chapter 8! This was a unique chapter, a challenging one to complete the thought process honestly, but it was fun to write! Did it leave you guessing? I hope so! So, if you've read my whole story up to this point, I just want to say thanks for sticking with Maria this far, and I hope you stay with her til the end! Please comment, I just love hearing what yoo guys have to say :D

BTW, if anyone has anything they'd like me to read or review, all you have to do is recommend! I've run out of good books to read, and that's where my inspiration comes from, so you'd be doing me a favor :)


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Do not own Hetalia! Though I hope you know that by now...

Note: Warning once again! Violence and death in this chapter! But if you could handle the last chapters then forget the warning. But still, read at your own risk! ;) Other than that, enjoy!

* * *

The next day seemed to be a cool down from the battles for the nations of the world. In the tranquil yet vibrant streets of Rome, its citizens carried out their normal businesses, and even Dark Italy and Romano were more relaxed than they had been of late, finally taking a break from the hectic war operations, with their counterparts, unaware of the hostile, foreign presence coming nearer. The four Italians had been conversing lightly in good spirits at the conference table after Dark Italy and Romano had finished supervising local government plans.

"That was a great speech!" Feliciano complemented his counterpart, "I would never be able to speak so seriously and encouragingly at the same time." Dark Italy smiled, enjoying a plate of pasta that Feliciano had whipped up while his counterpart had been signing papers with his brother. He had been successful in surprising him when the other Italy and Romano walked into the conference room, expecting a dull discussion, but instead finding Feliciano and Lovino waiting for them with dinner hot and ready.

"Yeah, you put on a very likable personality while you spoke to the soldiers," Lovino halfsmiled at his counterpart. Dark Romano grinned back. The two Romanos liked each other because both were relieved to find someone with the same amount of sense as each other.

"And you didn't even say a single bad word," added Feliciano happily. They all laughed lightheartedly.

"I miss times like these," Dark Italy said wistfully. "Times where everything was so simple and I didn't have to worry about anything."

"Yeah, I'm glad to see you finally laugh again," Dark Romano patted his brother's back. "We can have those kinds of times again; we just have to win their war once and for all."

"Easier said than done…" muttered Lovino, remembering how close he came to losing his brawls.

"I think we can do it," heartened Feliciano, even though he never really participated in the fighting, but cheering everyone else on was his forte. Lovino rolled his eyes at his naïve brother, but Dark Romano just looked at him with what seemed to be sad happiness. When Feliciano met his eyes, he turned away quickly and talked with Lovino.

"Don't mind him," Dark Italy whispered to his counterpart. "I don't know what's up with my brother."

"It's okay," replied Feliciano jovially, but he knew that Dark Romano gave him that strange look because he liked seeing him happy—it's what he wanted for Dark Italy to be. Feliciano understood his brotherly love; even though Lovino tended to be a little too outspoken (and quite rude) about his feelings, he loved his brother all the same.

His thoughts were suddenly shattered when the door at the opposite end of the wide room burst open, swinging so hard it flew off its hinges. Through the doorway strutted Dark Prussia, followed by Dark Germany and lastly Kiku. The Italians sprung out of their seats in alarm, Dark Romano cursing. They were completely unprepared, only Dark Romano was armed with a small army knife he always carried with him.

"Kesesese, we thought we'd just stop by for a short visit," chuckled Dark Prussia, his red eyes appearing to glow menacingly. Dark Germany cracked his knuckles as Kiku unsheathed his katana.

"Yes, it's time for you to pay for being such a covard," Dark Germany growled as his glare bore upon Dark Italy, who gulped. Quaking with fear, Feliciano cringed behind his brother at the vehement animosity in the German's voice. His best friend had always been there for him, and now here was someone who appeared to be the same person, yet he wore a murderous expression with eyes full of hate. The sight made Feliciano's heart twist in emotional pain and instability.

Dark Romano stepped in front of his companions and called, "Veneziano, you know the back exit, and Lovino! Take our brothers out of here!" He drew his knife and shed his blazer.

"No, I won't leave you!" Lovino protested. He started forward, but then realized he had no weapon to fight with. With his bare fists alone, he obviously stood no chance against the invaders. Still, he could not just leave his counterpart to fend off three opponents by himself.

"You have to protect them! Please, just go!" pleaded his counterpart, and Lovino obeyed in acquiescence, then grabbed Feliciano and Dark Italy by their wrists and fled through the door behind them as their invaders advanced from the far side of the room. His duty as a big brother was the only thing that could convince Lovino to run away.

"Playing the hero today, are we Romano?" Dark Prussia smirked. "Well this shouldn't last long. Why don't you just make it easier for everyone and let us pass? We'll spare your life. Our business isn't with you, it's with Italy."

"I'll never let you harm my brother!" snarled Dark Romano. When he engaged the Dark German Brothers in close combat, Kiku did as he was told earlier and darted behind the Italian and through the door that the others had escaped. _Fuck_, thought Dark Romano, but he could turn his back to stop the Japanese nation or risk being killed by the German ones.

While the Italians were indeed very fast, Kiku was an excellent tracker; the ninjas did originate in Japan, after all. By the time Lovino and the two Italies scrambled out the back door of the building, he was not far behind.

Dark Italy led his companions through the lamp-lit streets of Rome, turning corners and dodging pedestrians in an attempt to shake Kiku off their trail, but their hunter was too good. Every time Feliciano glanced back, he could see him still chasing them inexorably. _Why, Kiku?_ Feliciano thought frightfully. He could not imagine his old friend trying to murder them after all they had been through. Even with him on the Genesis Powers, Feliciano had never thought of him as the enemy, at least until now. His heart raced as they dashed in and out of narrow alleyways and sidewalks, trying to make their path as confusing as possible, knowing that if their pursuer managed to catch them he would have the skills to kill them on the spot. But when the turned one more street corner, Feliciano looked back to see that Kiku was no longer following them. They did not stop running, but the Japanese nation disappeared.

Kiku had skidded to a halt and watched the Italians round the corner, letting them get away. He had chased them far enough to say that he "tried" to catch them, and so he headed back to the conference building. Seeing Feliciano's terrified glances made him swallow a bit of guilt as he took his time returning to his fellow raiders. Nonetheless, he was glad that his old friend was still safe and very much alive. The Dark German Brothers had made their vicious intentions clear on the way to the building, and he was afraid that Feliciano and Lovino would be caught in the middle of their storm of fury.

As Kiku reentered the building, he was aware about the uneasy silence that hung in the halls. No sounds of a struggle could be heard. When he came into the conference building, he wanted to hurl at what he saw before him. Dark Prussia leaned against the wall with his arm folded across his chest nonchalantly while Dark Germany stood wiping his hands, a look of satisfaction on his face. But that's not what sickened Kiku. At Dark Germany's feet lay the lifeless body of Dark Romano with a broken neck.

* * *

When Ludwig first opened his eyes, his vision was blurry, but when it grew sharper, he saw Gilbert, who was being strangely dutiful, standing next to his makeshift hospital bed. His brother grinned, flashing shiny white teeth, and his ruby eyes seemed to light up as Ludwig yawned.

"You're finally awake!"

Ludwig stretched out his arms, but then winced as pain shot up from his shoulder, which was carefully wrapped with soft bandages. "How long vas I out?"

"Like two whole days! That's a lot for a nation," Gilbert informed, plopping down on the side of the bed. "You're normally stronger than that…" At first, the blonde racked his brain to recall why exactly he had to be kept in medical care, but then the memories of the battle and being stabbed by Dark Italy flooded back. He remembered desperately running to save his brother, and the angst he felt meeting the Italian's hate-filled eyes as the blade sank into his shoulder. It was something he had never imagined—Italy trying to kill him. Even the thought of it sent shivers down his spine. His head began to ache, and he put his hand to his temple as he sat up.

"West, don't strain yourself," Gilbert said with strange softness, gently pushing him back to lay his brother's head on the pillow. With uncharacteristic care, he placed a warm towel upon Ludwig's forehead.

"Vhy are you being so…helpful?" asked Ludwig, a bit confused at his brother's behavior. Normally, the albino was loud and obnoxious, not placid and concerned. Gilbert paused before answering.

"You saved my life…I would've been dead if you hadn't distracted the other Italy," he whispered with a shaky voice. "When I saw you fall, there was so much blood…I thought you were dead." The image was burned into Gilbert's memory. Never before had he felt so helpless, so scared, all for the sake of his brother.

"Gilbert…" Ludwig said his name quietly, unsure what to say.

"Just don't ever do it again!" Gilbert never wanted to experience such anguish ever again. "Don't ever throw your life away to save mine!"

"Nein, I vasn't throwing my life avay," Ludwig insisted. "You're my bruder. That's vhat ve do, ve protect each other."

Gilbert sighed. Why was West so responsible and brotherly? If he was willing to sacrifice his life, Gilbert had to make sure that he would never have to again. "Well, you don't need to protect me. Next time my awesomeness will protect you instead!"

"Fine vith me," Ludwig humored him, glad to see his brother act like himself again. Then there was knock on the door, and Maria let herself in.

"Maria? You're walking already?" Gilbert ask, surprised. When she moved to the bedside, there was a slight limp on her left leg, but other than that, she was fine and looked quite healthy.

"Yep!" she beamed, "Yao's medicine is amazing! I can barely feel any pain when I walk on it." She gestured to her leg and revealed a metal brace that steadied her footsteps.

"Vhat happened to you?" asked Ludwig, who really need to be caught up on recent events.

"Let's just say some bastard decided to pull a fast one on me by slicing my leg," Maria answered, not wanting to relive the whole memory all over again. She realized Ludwig was not up-to-date on latest Genesis endeavors, and wisely chose not to tell him about the Italian raid. That would just make him worry unnecessarily, which was bad for his rest. "Well," she said, turning back towards the door, "Just wanted to make sure you were doing alright, now I'm off."

"Where are you going?" inquired Gilbert.

"The other Philippines is returning home to secure some domestic affairs, and she invited me to go with her. Right now, all I want is to see something similar to home," explained Maria. With that, she happily left the room, excited to see her homeland, or rather, her counterpart's homeland. She met up with Dark Philippines on the front patio of the palace, where an escort car was waiting for them. Without further postponement, they went directly to the nearest airport and boarded a private jet going straight to the Philippine Islands. Along the way, the two Filipinas made small talk, avoiding any sensitive topics, being mildly convivial with each other. After a few hours on the plane, both of them gradually dozed off in peaceful slumber, completely unaware of the explosions and fires raging through the Canadian cities creating a hellish nightmare across the Pacific.

* * *

Dark Germany brushed off his suit. Neither he nor his brother looked the least bit haggard, as if they had not fought Dark Romano at all. The dead body on the floor repulsed Kiku so much, but he did not show it. Nothing he did now could save the poor Italian, and his alliance with the German Brothers was crucial to keep. Dark Prussia, who still leaned on the wall like nothing happened, looked up when Kiku came in.

"You didn't catch them?" he sighed.

"No. Italians are very fast," Kiku lied, knowing that if he had tried a bit harder he probably would have been able to cut them off.

"Oh well, at least this trip wasn't a complete waste. West got to cut loose a bit and snap the weakling's neck. Ha, he didn't stand a chance," sniggered Dark Prussia.

"What now?" asked Kiku, steering his gaze away from the corpse. He was becoming sick to his stomach, but he tried to tell himself that he was successful in keeping Feliciano and Lovino out of harm's way. However, doubts began to fill his thoughts. Could he have delayed the Dark German Brothers long enough for Dark Romano to escape as well?

"Vell, the other Italians probably fled north to France. There's no point in staying here any longer," Dark Germany said. "Ve should go back to Moscow then."

"Hai." Inside Kiku, however, his anger boiled silently. These other nations were pure evil, and he would never forgive any of them for the atrocities they had committed. None of his fellow nations were truly safe here in this dimension. If they did not find a way out of here soon, one of his friends could end up dead.

* * *

The next day, Maria lounged around the balcony of the Malacañang Palace while her counterpart saw to domestic affairs of the country with the President of the Philippines. Glad to be finally relaxed, she bit into the succulent, tangy mango, not realizing how much she missed the taste of her favorite fruit until now. The shining sun and the warm breeze of the islands made her smile to herself. She was relieved to be in a familiar place, even if it was not truly her homeland. They had reached Manila earlier that morning, feeling refreshed after sleeping on the plane ride. Immediately the Dark Philippines set about to her governmental work, but Maria got to sit back and enjoy peaceful time to herself. The baby blue sky, the rolling fluffy clouds, and the smell of the ocean made all her tensions disappear. Around lunch time, her counterpart ambled onto the balcony with her.

"Everything working out alright?" asked Maria politely.

"Yes, we were just discussing the economy. We were deciding how to stimulate trade, since everything functions differently during war," explained the Dark Philippines. "The nation has to be perfectly stable so that I can fight to the best of my ability. Once everyone's reached a consensus, we can head back to the other Genesis Powers."

"Great." Maria answered only halfheartedly, the deliciousness of the mango stealing away her concentration. Once she sucked down the last of the fruit, her attention came back to her counterpart. The two had a strange relationship, both affable with each other, to a certain degree. Maria recalled their conversation in the Moscow palace, where they had argued their different views on life as a nation. While they seemed to have butt heads then, the other girl did save her and Kiku on the Japanese beach. Remembering that moment, she asked, "Why did you come to mine and Kiku's aide back on the beach?"

Her counterpart blinked at the abruptness of the question. "Because you two are my allies."

"But the way you fought alongside Kiku…like you were trying really hard to make sure we were okay," Maria persisted. She knew there was something more; the fact that they all had signed an obligatory treaty was not the only reason. That much was subtly visible in the other girl's eyes. "I thought you didn't like me."

Dark Philippines sighed. "It's not that I don't like you personally—your spirit is definitely laudable—it's just your style of…thinking that I don't necessarily agree with," she explained vaguely. "But I sincerely don't want you or your Japan to die." When Maria gave her a puzzled look, she continued, "It's hard to explain, but the relationship you have with him…I guess it touches my heart, so to speak, and it would be sad for something like that to end. So that's why I came to your rescue." The other girl's eyes stared off into the distance, and Maria was not sure what to say. She did not expect such sensitivity from her counterpart. Maybe they were more alike than she thought.

"Wow, I didn't realize you could feel that way," Maria murmured.

"But I could never have that relationship with my Japan," the Dark Philippines said, "I can assure you: he's not like exactly like Kiku. He's not very endearing, to put it plainly. But he has invested my nation in a professional—if not always friendly—way, so I guess I owe him my loyalty."

"But what's stopping you two from becoming friends?"

"I honestly think that he doesn't want to be friends with anyone," her counterpart grumbled. Maria could tell that the other girl was having trouble trying to explain her connection with Dark Japan, but Maria understood, knowing that he had probably done some very detestable deeds.

A low humming noise caught the ears of both girls, who craned their necks in the direction of the Pacific Ocean. "What's that?" asked Maria. The other girl shook her head, just as confused. The humming grew louder quickly, and black dots became visible in the blue sky where the noise was coming from. The dots moved closer with amazing speed, and soon Maria could make out the shape of fighter planes racing towards the islands in a military fleet formation.

"Shit!" cursed the Dark Philippines as one of her official rushed onto the balcony, flailing his arms frantically.

"We have a situation!" he cried, "Hostile American planes are heading towards the main island! They'll be here in a few moments!"

"How are we just noticing them?" she shouted at him.

"Our radar systems aren't able to sense them! Our look-out posts have only just seen them!" the official exclaimed in incredulity.

"It's their damn stealth modes," Maria elucidated furiously. The humming buzzed in her ears now, and the planes were just about to reach the islands.

"Get the President to safety!" commanded the Dark Philippines. The official gave a quick nod before hurrying back into the building. The two girls had just run out of the palace when the first plane flew over the capital city and released the first bomb. The explosion shook the ground violently, throwing them off balance and civilians' screams could be heard from every direction as more and more planes dropped their deadly cargo upon the city. With her mind reeling, Maria got to her feet as her counterpart did, and she followed her as she dashed deeper into Manila.

Between the screams all around her, the rumbling explosions, and the nonstop whirring of the planes above, she could barely think. Several buildings around her collapsed, sending debris crashing into surrounding areas. Chaos gripped the entire city with citizens running for their lives, children shrieking, and cars driving and swerving in hay wire. Even with her injured leg, Maria managed to stay a few strides behind the Dark Philippines as they sprinted past crumbling edifices.

"Where are we going?" Maria shouted above all the noise. The other girl did not answer; perhaps she did not hear, or perhaps she did not know either. The scene around her was deplorable; the nation was falling apart at the seams. Then the two Filipinas found themselves in the heart of Manila, in Rizal Park. Stunned and disoriented, the Dark Philippines stumbled and fell to her knees at the foot of the Rizal Monument, breath hitching. Coughing, she hugged her chest, in which her heart contracted painfully. Maria knelt by her side, but unable to help her up, since they could not touch each other.

"C'mon, you can do it!" urged Maria, "Don't pass out on me yet!" More bombs continued to rain down, and now gunfire rang out throughout the city, telling her that the invasion had begun. The other girl let out a sharp cry of pain and coughed out blood before starting to writhe sickeningly. Her counterpart felt as if her entire body was on fire, the rampage of the enemies on her country too much to bear. Even breathing became harder as she thrashed about uncontrollably. Maria had no idea what to do, hopelessness filling her as she watched.

As the frightening moments of her torment passed, the two girls became surrounded by American troops, who created a circle with a few yards radius around them. Panic seized Maria, but she remained by her counterpart's side. The soldiers just glared at them, pointing their guns, but not firing just yet. Then Dark America stepped inside the circle, his pistol at hand. His expression was one of extreme contempt, not a trace of pity or leniency present in his eyes. Shivers were sent down Maria's spine as she gulped in anxiety. When he aimed his weapon at the Dark Philippines, who was sprawled on the ground with her fits subsiding but her breathes growing fainter, Maria's thoughts cleared and her initial fright left her. At once, she rose to her feet and stood directly between Dark America and her counterpart, blocking the path of his bullet.

"Get out of the way!" growled Dark America, enraged, pistol still pointed at her. "I'll shoot you too if I have to!"

"No!" Maria yelled back, "How could you be so low? Killing her while she's down and can't defend herself!" She held her arms out, becoming a human shield for her counterpart.

"HOW CAN _I_ BE SO LOW?" roared Dark America, "I'M NOT THE MONSTER HERE!" He began to tremble in rage. While his uproar scared Maria to death, she stubbornly refused to move.

"You'd be a monster if you killed her without giving her a chance!"

"GIVE HER A CHANCE? CANADA WASN'T GIVEN A CHANCE SO WHY SHOULD SHE!" he thundered. His finger hovered over the trigger.

"W-what?" Maria had no clue what he was talking about. Was Dark Canada dead?

"As if you don't know!" Now Dark America's voice became dangerously low, still wrought with fury. "He can barely breathe. He'd be dead if I had been a second later!" So he was still alive, but only just. "My brother…he could die any second now, and it's all because of you fucking Genesis Powers!"

"We didn't know," Maria tried to reason with him, to calm him down, "I'm sorry for what happened, but neither I nor my counterpart had anything to do with it. She doesn't deserve to die!"

"Do you expect me to trust you? Canada didn't deserve those attacks either! Now I want Japan to feel the same pain. The pain of losing someone close to him," Dark America seethed lividly. Vengeance was all he had in mind. He did not understand that Dark Japan had no such feelings for the Dark Philippines, but in his state, there was no use trying to reason with him. "So get out of the way before I shoot you too!"

Maria was torn between the two decisions ahead of her. By staying put, she would be shot, and killed, and then her counterpart would suffer the same fate. Her promise with the others would be broken. She had promised she'd do whatever it takes to stay alive, hadn't she? Would Kiku want her to protect her counterpart, however impossible it was, or would he want her to step out of the way? But it would be dishonorable and cowardly of her to just stand by and watch the Dark Philippines die. Now she understood what Yao had meant when they talked in the dungeon, when he talked about honor. If she backed down now, Maria knew she would never forgive herself, and would always be wallowing in shame.

"I'm not going anywhere," Maria said firmly. Dark America grumbled in frustration, wanting to pull the trigger, but conflicted by his conscience.

"I didn't want it to come to this…" he griped, "But you leave me no choice." Maria shut her eyes and waited for the loud bang of the gunshot to signal her death, but before that could happen, someone else broke through the circle of soldiers. When she opened her eyes again, there was Alfred, standing in front of his counterpart.

"Wait! Don't do it!" he shouted, waving his arms in front of Dark America.

"Alfred! What are you doing?" cried the other American nation.

"Stopping you from making a big mistake," Alfred replied, with legitimate seriousness.

"What? Why? You do know that I can just shoot right now, and the bullet would pass through you like a ghost, right?"

Alfred frowned, apparently forgetting that detail. Maria wanted to roll her eyes. Of course he would let something like that slip his mind. But it's the thought that counts, right? "Well, I got your attention, and that's all that matters," Alfred said, regaining his stern tone.

"Aren't you angry too? The Genesis tried to kill Canada! Are you just going to let that slide?" yelled Dark America irately at his counterpart.

"Of course I'm angry! Something like that is definitely not okay! But so this isn't either. If you kill them, you'll be just as bad as the bastards who tried to kill Canada," contended Alfred. Shocked, Maria was impressed by his ability to read the atmosphere and use logic for once.

"What else am I supposed to do?"

"You can settle the score fairly on the battlefield," Alfred stated. "Don't try to get revenge this way. It won't solve anything, not your hatred and not Canada's condition. Think about it, you can have your revenge on the people who're really responsible: Russia and Japan."

Dark America was silent for a moment. Then he slowly lowered his gun and sighed. "I guess you're right." He turned to a soldier and said, "Give the order to withdraw all troops. We're done here." The soldier nodded and began to call out to his fellow troops. Maria exhaled and pulled out her phone to dial an ambulance, assuming the hospitals were still operating. After making the call, she knelt by her counterpart, whose chest rose and fell irregularly. Soon the planes carrying American forces took off one by one. As the American nations boarded the last plane, Alfred glanced back at the Philippine nations. Maria mouthed _thank you_, and he nodded and smiled back before hopping in the plane.

By the time the Dark Philippines was loaded into the ambulance, all the invaders had left the islands, but a good portion of the city was in shambles. Maria could only imagine what had happened in Canada that put Dark America on such a breaking point. As she stood by her counterpart's side the whole ride to the hospital, she could not help but disdain everything about the war. Now it seemed as if WWIII was just about each nation having its revenge on its hated rivals. The Dark German Brothers wanted their revenge for their defeat in the Second World War, Dark Russia still wanted to crush America after the way things ended in the Cold War, and just now Dark America almost succeeded in avenging Dark Canada. In this moment, in this revelation, Maria hated being a nation. War was not going to solve anyone's problems, but it seemed to be the only thing these nations knew how to do. When the ambulance reached the hospital, she got out to help move the stretcher and grimaced. The air around her smelt of polluted fumes…and something else. Was that the smell of death and destruction? Maria concluded that it was, and gagged involuntarily. Keeping a keen eye on her counterpart's breathing pattern, Maria checked to be sure the other girl was still alive, which, thankfully, she was. However, Maria covered her own nose and mouth to prevent herself from inhaling the horrid scent, but then realized her attempts were futile. It was time she got used to the deathly aroma, because she could be certain that she would smell it again. And perhaps that aroma would fill the air sooner than she thought.

* * *

For this chapter, I used a good amount of creativity to mix things up a bit. I didn't want it to be too...explicit in regards to violence, but I hope i still got the idea across. For the parts talking about Canada, I made it a more of a "Fill in the blank" kind of thing because it would just break my heart to actually write the attack. But in case it was too vague, pretty much the same thing that happened in the Islands happened in Canada, only with much more ferocity. In this chapter I tried to convey and even spark many conflicting emotions within the characters, and possibly in the readers too!

But enough typing from me, I hope you liked it! While you're here, you might as well leave a review*hint hint* and know that every word is taken into consideration! Thanks guys!


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Still do not own Hetalia!

Note: Wow, so many reviews! You guys rock! Just a heads up, this is more of an informational chapter, so it's not as action-packed, but it's still an important chap. It's still interesting, so enjoy!

* * *

While patiently waiting for the doctors to tend to her counterpart's sickness, Maria had fallen asleep in a chair outside the room. Both mentally and physically, she was exhausted. When she stood in front of the Dark Philippines as Dark America pointed his gun at her, she really thought it was the end for her. But then, just as Kiku had saved her on the beach, Alfred came to her rescue—maybe he really was a hero. She had told Ivan that she had put it on herself to make sure the others got home safely, but so far, it seemed as if the others were just protecting her instead. After almost dying twice, she wondered how many more times she would be at Death's doorstep before the war's end…or whether she would find herself passing through that door during the war. At the rate the war was escalating, the world was bound to fall into chaos sooner or later, and Maria hoped she and all her friends would be home before that could happen.

A nurse gently tapped her shoulder, and she woke up with a yawn. "She can take visitors now, and she'd like to see you," the nurse said. Maria nodded and went inside right away. The other girl looked much like Maria had when she was in Yao's care. There was an IV injected into her arm, her skin seemed very pale and next to her bed stood a heart monitor screen that beeped steadily. But she looked much better than she had when she first came into the hospital, coughing blood and taking shallow breathes.

The Dark Philippines slowly opened her eyes and tried to give a weak smile at Maria. "Hey," she croaked.

"Hey," Maria smiled, "Are you doing okay? How are you feeling?"

"Still alive, so that's good," she attempted a coarse laugh, "But that's thanks to you, isn't it?"

"It was nothing, honestly." Maria did not want to strain the other girl, especially when she needed to rest.

"It was honestly not nothing. I would have been dead if not for you," she insisted, staring up at the ceiling.

"Well, I can't take all the credit. Alfred save both of us, actually," Maria told her. There was a ghost of a smile on her lips as she recalled Alfred forgetting that his counterpart could not harm him. Then again, he showed real sagacity when he dissuaded Dark America from killing her.

"Why did he do that? Why does he care about us?" the Dark Philippines muttered, perplexed.

"Because he sincerely doesn't want us to die," Maria answered, cocking her head to the side, "He may be a bit…childish at times but he's still my friend. Even though I was bothered by his presence on my islands, we still got really close, just like with Kiku and Antonio."

"Oh. You're very lucky to have such friends. My America was a bit angry when I returned to Japan's side, so I don't doubt he would have killed me," the other girl sighed sadly.

"Would you have killed him if you had the chance?"

"If Japan asked me too, then probably, but I've never really thought of that." At Maria's frown, she continued, "Like I said before, I still owe Japan a lot. But, now, I guess I owe you, too."

"You don't owe me anything. I couldn't just stand by and watch a friend die," Maria waved off.

"Does that mean we're friends now?" asked the Dark Philippines thoughtfully.

"If you want," she beamed cheerfully.

"I'd like that," the other girl grinned, resting her head back on the pillow. "Friends…" Still enervated from the invasion, she drifted off into a much needed sleep. Maria gave her a pitiful look. Her counterpart had said the word as if she had never had any before, and after seeing how destructive the other nations of this world were, she understood why. After her counterpart began to open up to her, Maria wondered if she really did deserve the title "Dark" Philippines. The more they talked to each other, the more Maria began to see the similarities in their personalities. But then, her counterpart did say she was willing to kill if she had to, and Maria was sure that was not a trait of her own. Maybe developing as a nation in this world was the main reason they were even different at all. This harsh Earth hardened her heart, and it would make anyone become colder. How much has this world changed her friends? How much had it changed her?

* * *

Lovino, Feliciano and Dark Italy did not stop running after Kiku left their trail. They had dashed down a few more blocks and ducked into a shanty, tucked-away café to make sure they were not being secretly followed. Immediately, Lovino dialed the first person he felt he could completely trust, Antonio. After quickly explaining the situation to the Spains on the other end of the line, he knew that they would be on their way as soon as possible. The three Italians stayed in the café until they were kicked out by the owner, and then went straight to the nearest airport, where Antonio and Dark Spain were going to meet them. A majority of the way there, Feliciano tried to console his counterpart, who was on the verge of hyperventilation, worried sick about his brother dearest.

Only having to wait half an hour in the airport lobby, Lovino felt relief pour over him when he saw Antonio and his counterpart rushing towards them after departing their plane. Under normal circumstances, he would curse himself for relying so much on the tomato bastard, but now he was too worked up to care.

"We came as fast as we could," Antonio panted, putting a hand on Lovino's shoulder.

"Where's Romano now?" Dark Spain asked Dark Italy, who sniffed and told him that they had left him in the conference room. Without any delay, they took the first taxi they saw and paid the driver extra to step on it. Once they reached the conference building, all five of them rushed into the room where the Genesis raiders had attacked them. Inside, Dark Romano's deceased form lay waiting for them. Dark Italy ran to his brother's side instantly, eyes wide.

"Romano! Brother! Wake up!" he cried shrilly, shaking his brother's limp body in vain. Tears streamed down his cheeks, and he let out a despairing wail, hugging Dark Romano. Dark Spain also knelt next to him, his face full of devastation.

"R-romano, _mi tomate_….no, it isn't true!" he murmured in denial. "I-I should have been there for you…" His whole body shook in anguish, his fists clenched.

By the doorway, Lovino, Antonio, and Feliciano just watched in sorrow, giving the two other nations their space. After seeing the affliction in them, Lovino was thunderstruck. Letting out a small sob, Feliciano wrapped his arms around his brother and buried his face in his chest. Blinking back a tear of his own, Antonio put a hand on Lovino's arm. _I didn't know they cared for me so much_, Lovino thought. It was a strange thing for him to see his counterpart's lifeless body. Inside his head, he faced mixed feelings; he mourned for the loss of his counterpart's life, and it made him value his own life even more. He felt as if he were witnessing his own death, with his own brother and friend grieving over his corpse. Shaking his head, he reminded himself that he was very much alive.

"Brother," Dark Italy hiccupped, "I promise we will win this war. Just like you wanted…"

"Your death will not be in vain," Dark Spain's voice grew into a shout, his expression changing from asperity to enmity, "I swear, those bastards will pay for what they've done!"

* * *

In the Moscow Palace, virtually the headquarters of the Genesis Powers, Ivan and Yao were walking down the long hallway after checking up on Ludwig, who was recovering nicely. Dark Lithuania was supposed to take Yao back to his prison cell, but he had to prepare dinner, so Ivan took his place. At first, they walked in silence, Yao praying that the Russian would not ask him to "become one with Russia, da?" But thankfully, he did not ask for once. Yao missed his freedom, but the Genesis nations, or the Dark ones anyway, made it awfully clear that they would not hesitate to kill him if he attempted to escape. And so, after making that promise with Maria, he was forced to be watched at all times. He was allowed to move from the makeshift hospital rooms to tend to his patients, which was fine with him, since all of his patients were his fellow nations from his Earth. If he had to operate on the Dark Nations, Yao would hate himself, and might just "accidentally" kill one of them.

"Aiya…I want to go home," Yao sighed, mostly to himself.

"Da, this war isn't as fun as I thought it would be," agreed Ivan. The Chinese man was mildly surprised by the thoughtfulness in his voice

"You don't want to fight anymore?"

"No…here, the nations kill each other. If I killed someone, they couldn't become one with me here," Ivan explained. Of course, even when they were agreeing, Ivan was still Russia, so he was still creepy. The two walked a little farther without saying word, each reminiscing about home. As they continued down the hallway, they approached a door that was slightly ajar, and when they passed by, both threw a brief glance inside, only to see Arthur pacing back and forth nervously. Ivan stopped in his tracks, and stared at the Briton, who did not notice them, before deciding to enter the room. When Yao followed him inside tentatively, Ivan shut the door behind him, and only then did the British nation realize he was not alone. He gave a startled jump at the sound of the door closing and stopped pacing.

"W-what are you doing here? Barging in uninvited!" exclaimed Arthur, who seemed a bit flustered.

"Oh, nothing, just wondering why you were looking so tense," Ivan answered with that scary voice of his that made Yao shudder.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," denied Arthur defensively, crossing his arms and looking away.

"It's okay, Opium, we all have our secrets," said Yao, but with a reproachful tone.

"Don't call me that! And I don't have a secret, you wanker!"

"You're a terrible liar," sang Ivan tauntingly. "It's just too obvious."

"Shut up!"

"Seriously, you were acting strange when we came in, aru," Yao pointed out, trying to get Ivan to be staid again.

"It's none of your business," Arthur spat angrily. But even Ivan could tell that something was eating the British man from the inside out. The Russian and the Chinese exchanged understanding glances.

"Listen, Arthur," Yao started, using his human name to get in his good graces, "We just want to help you. Just tell us what's wrong.

"And why do you two want to help me all of a sudden?"

"Because," Ivan replied, "We made a promise with someone. We are all going to go home back to our Earth." He tried his best to give an encouraging smile, not a creepy one.

"And that means you too," finished the Chinese nation.

Arthur regarded them skeptically, but then his shoulders slumped, as if he were carrying a burden to heavy to bear by himself. "You're…you're right," he finally uttered out. "I can't keep this to myself anymore."

"Well, now you don't have to, aru," Yao said with friendly expression, helping him open up.

"I'm not sure how to explain it…"

"Then just start from the beginning," suggested Ivan.

"Okay. I'll give you the short and simple version of the story. When we first fell through the portal," Arthur began, "I ended up next to my counterpart and we deduced that I was from another dimension. The other me told me about World War III, and he wanted me to join his cause very badly. Back then, I didn't know how the rest of you were doing, and frankly, I was just worried about getting home, so I told him that I couldn't involve myself in his war. And then, he told me…" He took a shaky breath and bit his lip, unsure whether to continue his story.

"And he told you…?" prompted Yao smoothly, not wanting to pressure him.

"My counterpart told me that his nation was declining rapidly and soon Britain would fade away completely. He was experiencing magical 'blackouts' as a result, meaning that more and more often his powers failed him. He said that the same would happen to me too when I returned home, that our fall was destined to happen. This war would be his final stand, his last chance to regain his status. Then I started thinking, what if it really was going to happen to me too? That's when the other Britain told me that he discovered a way to recapture his strength and bring his nation back to its glory days."

"How?" inquired Ivan, who had been listening intently.

Arthur shook his head. "He wouldn't tell me when I asked. He said I would only find out if I fought by his side."

"So you chose to join him," presumed Yao with a frown.

"I had no choice! If what he said was true…I can't take any chances for my nation. I need to know what his solution is." Arthur stared at the ground and a heavy moment passed. Neither Yao nor Ivan could really blame Arthur, who was just trying to do what was best for his nation.

"That's not all, is it?" guessed Ivan. Arthur exhaled and shook his head again.

"No it's not. Ever since the first battle in China, the other Britain has been asking me to lend him some of my magic."

"Lend him your magic?" echoed Yao, puzzled. "That's possible?"

"Yes, you see, our powers works like a battery. It can be recharged by the economy and stability of our nation, but batteries can blow out. I can afford to lend him my magic because I'm still reasonably healthy, in terms of my country, so I can recuperate my powers after resting a bit, but he can longer 'charge' because his nation is declining. That's why he needs me and that's why he's withholding that valuable piece of information."

"That's blackmail!" Yao was still very confused, even after Arthur's analogy, but he understood enough to know that Dark Britain was being terribly dishonorable. "He's just using you."

"I know that! But I have to go along with it. I can't take the risk that what he's saying just might be true." Arthur rubbed his forehead in irritation. "I…I just need some time to think to myself."

Knowing their company unwanted, Ivan and Yao exited the room, leaving the Briton to his thoughts. Then the two proceeded on their way to the dungeon, and Yao's spirits were depressed. Getting home was getting harder and harder by the second it seemed.

* * *

"I can't believe we're back here already," chided Maria to her counterpart. It had been less than 24 hours since the Dark Philippines had been rushed to the hospital, and two of them were already in a Russian taxi on the way to the Moscow palace. "As I said on the plane, I doubt you are well enough to travel. I still doubt you're well enough to participate in a meeting!"

"Like _I_ said on the plane, I just needed a short nap, and now I'm all better," objected the Dark Philippines. "Plus I got to rest in the plane, so I'm perfectly fine."

"I think being invaded qualifies you for at least a full day off if not a week."

"If Japan says the meeting is of upmost importance, then the least I can do is show up." The other girl crossed her arms stubbornly.

"Does he even know about the invasion?" asked Maria in disbelief at her obedient conduct.

"Yes, he does. It's not that big of a deal. I'm still walking, aren't I?"

"It's a huge deal! You almost died, and you are barely walking straight as a matter of fact," Maria pointed out, shaking her head. Her counterpart really needed to prioritize. The taxi pulled up in front of the lobby of Dark Russia's palace, and after paying the driver, Maria offered to help her counterpart, who was still weak, walk to the extravagant dining room that served as a conference room for the Genesis. However, the Dark Philippines, to prove her point, refused her help, and insisted on getting there on her own. When they finally reached the room, Kiku and his counterpart were conversing at the end of the table. Dark Japan saw them first, and said,

"Oh, you made it, Philippines, I trust everything is all patched up now?"

The Dark Philippines nodded and went to go stand by his side as she always did at a meeting, only wobbling a little. When Kiku turned around to see Maria, her face lit up in a brilliant smile. She had not seen him since he had left for the raid, and he too returned the gesture just as amicable. Without a second thought, she gave him a big hug, even happier when he hugged back.

"Glad to see you're okay," Kiku said when they broke apart.

"You too," Maria bubbled. That's when she saw their counterparts standing there a bit awkwardly. Their reactions were so different from each other, Maria realized, and so did her counterpart.

"By the way, Maria," Dark Japan cleared his throat, "Ivan told me that he wanted to talk to you before the meeting if that was possible. Since you arrived early, you can find him in his room. Do you know where that is?"

"No, but I'll just go to the kitchen and ask Lithuania to lead the way," Maria said. She exchanged another warmhearted look with Kiku before leaving the room.

When she was gone, Dark Japan raised an eyebrow at his counterpart. "Don't you think it's a bit improper to be embracing her like that?"

"I don't see anything wrong with it," Kiku repudiated, "We're very close and we've been through a lot with each other." Dark Japan searched his eyes, and the two stood fixed upon the other for a moment.

"I just think it would be unfitting for you to have more than friendly feelings for that girl," Dark Japan spat.

"Just because you're my counterpart doesn't make it any of your business," Kiku warned, narrowing his eyes. Irritated by the rudeness of his counterpart, Kiku decided to step outside and get some fresh air until the meeting was officially called in.

* * *

Eventually, the meeting was convened, and the Genesis nations filed into the room and took their usual seats. Even Ludwig was healthy enough to attend, though his shoulder was still tightly wrapped and appeared to be very stiff. Maria and Ivan were the last to arrive, both wearing grave expressions, making Kiku wonder what they had talked about. As Ivan sat down, he threw a strange look in Arthur's direction, while the Briton seemed quite antsy, further confusing Kiku.

Maria sat directly across from Dark Britain coincidentally, and they both glared at each other, remembering their last encounter when she was still injured in bed. But now Maria had learned more about why he had confronted her that night, thanks to Ivan, and her hatred for him grew exponentially. _Shameless bastard_, she thought angrily.

"Konichiwa," Dark Japan began as usual, "We have many things to discuss today." With that, he went on to describe the outcomes of the last two battles and the attack on Canada, which he concluded to be a great success. As he informed them about the heavy damage inflicted on the Canadian nation, Maria outwardly remained calm, but was secretly infuriated at such an atrocity. Canada had not once participated in any fighting whatsoever—it was a very dirty trick on Genesis' part. Dark America was right to say that Dark Canada did not deserve a single attack. She thought about the poor nation and hoped he was going to make it through the rest of the war. Lastly, Dark Japan finished his report with the invasion of the Philippine Islands, but he touched on it so briefly and offhandedly, as if it were barely worth mention. Maria had to stop herself from letting out an outraged outburst.

"Now that everyone's on the same page, we need to decide what our next move is," announced Dark Japan. Frankly, Maria just wanted to take a break, but knew to voice her opinion would make her look bad.

"We should expand our control in Europe," suggested Dark Prussia, a devilish grin growing on his face. "I say we take Greece. The weak fool doesn't even deserve a place in that continent."

"I second that," agreed Dark Britain, throwing a knowing glance at his counterpart, who avoided eye contact with anyone.

"Da, that's a good idea," concurred Dark Russia, "We can use that attack as a opportunity to make a treaty with Turkey and Egypt."

"Kesesese, you actually want to recruit those guys?" sniggered Dark Prussia, leaning back in his chair. "We're better off without them."

"Not truthfully. But we can use the invasion of Greece to draw them onto our side, and then once we've taken the country, we'll take Turkey and Egypt. The idiots won't see it coming," Dark Russia laughed. Of course he would stoop to such low moves. Recruit a nation and then destroy them once they've served their purpose? The Russian talked as if the other nations were nothing but pawns, nothing but disposable pieces. Maria personally loathed backstabbers, and felt guilt swell in her throat at his idea.

"Oh, I see," said Dark Germany, "I like the vay you think."

"If we're all in agreement then," Dark Japan rose from his seat, "I can send ambassadors to Turkey and Egypt right away."

"Perfect! Then we should go to our place so we can build up arms," Dark Prussia offered eagerly. "I have a lot of new wicked awesome artillery just waiting to be used that I need to pick up. Then we can head over to Turkey once the treaty's been reached. From there, we'll strike!" Maria almost could not believe how quickly the decision had been made. Bloodlust and a hunger for power seemed to be the common factors drawing the Dark Nations of the Genesis together.

"Sounds good," Dark Russia said, standing up, "I guess we're done here then. We fly to Germany first thing tomorrow morning." As he turned to leave, he added cheerfully, "I can't wait!"

* * *

Dark America sat on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial under the crescent moon with Dark Spain and Austria. Following the invasion of the Philippines, he had called the nations of the Vertex Union back to his capital for an important meeting in which they would decide their next moves in the war. Dark Austria, having wrapped up his domestic affairs, came at once. Dark Spain and Italy, along with Antonio, Feliciano, and Lovino, had returned right after holding a private funeral for Dark Romano. Antonio and the Italians, who were still distraught by the recent murder, remained in the hotel, trying to move past their emotions for the time being. Dark Italy had barely said a word since the funeral, and not even Feliciano could think of anything to cheer him up.

However, Dark America, Spain and Austria had other methods of handling their losses. The three stretched out on the stone steps, each holding their preferred alcoholic drinks, staring up at the luminous moon. Each of them had their reasons for their blazing, passionate hatred, which was just waiting to erupt, unable to stay dormant for much longer. Tonight, even alcohol was not enough to quench their vehement anger.

"We have to win this war," Dark Austria muttered after sipping the last of his drink. The image of his beloved being slain flashed before him, as it always did when he could not distract himself. But since that day, his depression morphed into odious rancor and bitterness. No longer would he waste precious time sulking when he could be using that time to prepare for the next major battle.

"Damn straight, we will." Dark Spain tightened his clench on his drink, threatening to break the glass in his suppressed rage. _For mi tomate_, he thought to himself. The Spaniard knew that to wallow in despair would not solve a thing, and was extremely bad for his mental health. So he chose to channel his feelings through vindictive fury, which, he supposed, also threatened his sanity, but perhaps war called for the loss of judgment. Because he was sure as hell revenge did.

"We'll give them payback with interest, that's for sure," Dark America agreed spitefully. Picturing his Canada's condition made him want to pound someone's head in. The Genesis were not going to get away with what they did, he knew that much. Revenge was on all their minds, and to have that, they could not afford to lose another battle. That night the three of them made a silent oath not to stop fighting until they had tasted sweet victory.

* * *

The next day, the Genesis nations settled into Dark Germany and Prussia's striking estate as they awaited the treaty with Dark Turkey and Egypt to be secured. Even Maria had to admit that the castle-like mansion was "awesome" as the albino claimed. The German architecture was magnificent, and inside many of the rooms were decked out with tapestries portraying epic scenes of battles, though several repulsive spoils of war lined the halls. The view from Maria's guest room was breathtaking, the window revealing acres of lush, green hills and woods under a sunny sky. Honestly, she had imagined that the Dark German Brothers' home would be a scary place with dark clouds thundering overhead, but she was astounded by the décor and scenery. She was not surprised, however, to find that a deep red was their favored color, which was the color of most of the walls and carpets. The color did remind her of blood.

With much time to kill, Maria ended up taking a walk along the edge of the woods, enjoying the gentle summer breeze and the fresh outdoor air. When she rested under a tree, she let all her troubles leave her mind, and eventually dozed off. The afternoon sun hung low in the orange sky when she awoke to the crunching of twigs under footsteps coming from within the forest. While she was a little embarrassed to have fallen asleep much longer than she intended, she was distracted from the voices she heard heading in her direction. Whoever was talking was not close enough for her to make out the words of their conversation, but she could make out the British accents. As the footsteps came closer, the Britons were more audible, coming out of the woods a few feet to the left of where Maria was situated. Silently, she pressed up against the trunk of her tree to stay completely out of sight and listened. The footsteps stopped, and the British men continued their conversation at the edge of the woods.

"Well, it was pleasure doing business with you," one of them said haughtily, so Maria guessed it was Dark Britain as he laughed.

"Yeah…" said the other, Arthur, without the same humorous tone. Still chuckling, Dark Britain strolled back to the mansion, and Maria watched his back until she was sure he was out of earshot. She heard Arthur sigh and plop down on the grass and then decided to come out of her hiding spot.

"Arthur?" she asked as she stepped out from behind the tree.

"Maria?" he blinked, startled, "Have you been there the whole time? Spying much?"

"I was not spying," she said defensively, "I was taking a nap until you two woke me up."

"Oh. Well, you weren't supposed to hear anything."

"Too bad, because I did. And I know that your counterpart has you wrapped around his finger with that secret solution of his," Maria crossed her arms over her chest and looked at him expectantly.

"Ivan told you, didn't he? He shouldn't have, it's none of your bloody business," Arthur reproved shaking his head.

"Look, he told me about your 'inevitable' downfall, and how you're helping the other you to learn how to save yourself. What you were two doing just now? What did he mean by business?"

"…if you must know I lent him some magic in the forest so that no one else would see, but I guess that backfired," Arthur exhaled, annoyed at the blunder.

"You're giving him power? That can't be good for you!" Now that she took a closer look, Arthur seemed a bit exhausted, his eye lids drooping a little.

"I have no other choice! I need to know what his solution is and this is part of the bargain."

"You do have another choice! When we get home, your friends can help you! You can lean on your fellow nations, not the ones from this Earth. We can prevent that so-called destined collapse," Maria proposed. Couldn't he see that Dark Britain wasn't reliable? His "solution" could be a sham for all they knew.

"Don't be silly, Maria. Why would they help me? I think even Alfred knows that it's every nation for themselves."

"That's not true. Kiku, Ivan, Yao, Ludwig, Gilbert and me—we've all promised that we are getting home together! All of us need to work together for that to happen."

Arthur just gave her a sad smile. "I'm sorry, Maria, but I can't afford to take any chances." Maria tried to protest further, but he put his hand up. "I've made up my mind." Then he got his feet and began walking back to the mansion, leaving her flustered and frustrated.

"Arthur!" she called, and when he paused and glanced back, she said, "If he does tell you his solution, be prepared to hear something you won't like!" But he just set his lips straight and proceeded walking.

"_SOS. I desperately seek your aide in battle! I fear that the Genesis Powers plan to take my nation next for their forces begin to mobilize near my eastern borders in Turkey, where they have recently concluded an alliance. Even by my southern borders, Egypt builds its arm. The enemy has already begun to disable my radio communications, which is why I send you this urgent message. If you decide not to interfere, I foresee the worse. Without your help, I cannot last on my own. Please, I beg the Vertex Union to lend me military assistance. If not, then this may be the last you hear from Greece." _

Dark America drummed his fingers on the table as he stared at the document before him and sipped his coffee. Normally, he would not attend to diplomatic letters so early in the morning, but this was no ordinary circumstance. "Interesting…"

* * *

From the Author: Guess what guys? We are on our way to the climax of the story! Sorry this chap wasn't as exciting, but I'll make up for it next chap, promise! If I've done my job as a fanfic author, then you readers should be cheering for at least one of the characters to succeed, but I guess you guys will be the judge of that! So don't forget to leave a review. You might as well while you're here ;)

Speaking of my fabulous reviewers, I'm sooo thankful! And to prove it to you guys, I'm going to try something new, so I need your feedback. I got this idea from reading another fanfic, I'll admit, so don't call me a copycat! I'm going to answer to the reviews of the previous chapter, starting with those from chapter 9! If this is a bad idea and you guys for some reason don't like my replies (maybe you think I'm annoying as a person, which I understand, it happens right?) and don't want me to reply, then just let me know! No hard feelings, promise. I don't expect you guys to respond, but feel free too if you'd like!

**DragonnaTheDogDemon: **Yes, America did, actually, good catch! The histories of the two Earths are similiar with some differences (like Vash's death) and in this Earth the Dark Philippines went back to Japan's side after independence.

**itgirl18: **Thanks so much! Don't you just loove Kiku? The war scenes are my fav, too, they're fun to write!

**NinjaRoll: **Glad to know that I'm not a failure at emotions! :P Alfred is just a really great character to work with, I agree! Thanks for the support!

**Juusan13: **You're totally right! I hope this cliffhanger is just as suspenseful :D I appreciate your tips and encouragement!

Thanks again guys! You're awesome, I hope you know that. You don't know what it means to a rookie writer like me! :)


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Will never ever own hetalia. Ever.

Note: Thanks to all my reviewers! Your advice has been just amazingly helpful! I kept my promise to make a more interesting, actiony chapter! Like Maria, I never go back on my word ;) So enjoy!

* * *

"I say we all go out for some drinks tonight," suggested Dark Prussia, "So we can celebrate our victory in advanced! Everyone knows German wine is the best, and since we're all going to Turkey tomorrow, we should get some now." The Genesis meeting had only just concluded with Dark Japan announcing their plans to travel to Turkey the next morning and then commence their attack once they were ready.

"Hai, it would be good for our nerves," Dark Japan consented while Dark Russia nodded along happily.

"Great, let's go," cheered Dark Prussia, who then turned to Maria with a chuckle, "Sorry, but this is going to be exclusively male."

"Oh darn," she said sarcastically. Even if they had invited her, she would not have gone. She knew better than to leave herself susceptible to intoxicated nations by consuming too much alcohol. The male nations of the Genesis Powers left the room in a clustered group, relieved of any actual work, leaving Maria with her counterpart.

"You need to get some rest," she advised the Dark Philippines, "Especially if we are going to be fighting in a couple days." The other girl still had not given herself enough time to relax and recover from the recent invasion, exasperating Maria. Her counterpart sure was pedantic when it came to military politics, enough to make her ignore her own health.

"You're probably right…" she admitted. Wishing her a good night, the other girl followed the wise recommendation and went to her room. Maria watched her go and sighed. At least she took the advice this time. When her stomach growled, Maria realized how hungry she was and started for the kitchen until she remembered that she was no longer in the Moscow palace and that Dark Lithuania would not be there to help her out anymore. It was a shame really, not just because his cooking was amazing, but also because he was easy to talk to. Of all the Dark Nations, he was the mellowest and the most pleasant by a long shot. He did not deserve the title "Dark" Lithuania to be completely honest, but she did not know what else to call him.

Without a guide or a map of the estate, Maria meandered through the hallways like she did at the Moscow palace when she came across that kitchen and hoped for the same results. Finally she found a door labeled in German, which she hoped meant "kitchen," and let herself in. Her guess was right, it was the kitchen after all, but there was not a cook in sight. Dinner trays with steaming meals sat on the counters, so she figured the chef or servants were about the mansion delivering other trays. Wondering if it was rude to just grab food by herself, she searched the cabinets for something that looked familiar since she did not trust German food that much. She played it safe by selecting an apple and a roll of bread, and then made her way to her room.

Absentmindedly, she ambled down the carpeted halls, finishing her food. When she was nearing her room, she turned the corner of the corridor without paying attention, and crashed directly into someone who was hurrying from the other direction. The platter that the other person had been carrying clattered to the ground, the dishes shattering as they hit the floor. After colliding, both of them fell on their bottoms, and when Maria scratched her head, taking in what just happened because of her inattentiveness, she saw that the other person was a young girl with short hair and big green eyes, wearing a maid's dress. A purple ribbon dangled from the side of her hair.

"Oh! I'm so sorry about that," Maria apologized, starting to gather the glass shards that littered the carpet. Luckily, the dishes had been empty, probably because the girl was picking up finished plates to be washed. Even still, Maria felt bad for breaking them and creating more unnecessary work for the servant.

"No, no, it was my fault. You don't have to pick those up," the green-eyed girl said, shaking her head. She seemed to be a bit panicky, quickly grabbing the platter and piling the glass pieces on top.

"But it was my fault, I wasn't watching where I was going," Maria insisted, still picking up the glass. Something about this girl was particularly familiar, but she could not put her finger on it. Maria searched her brain for the memory of the last world conference meeting she attended on her home Earth, but it was quite a while ago, and a lot had happened since then. . She had seen that hairstyle before, but something was a bit different about it…was it the ribbon? Suddenly, the image of Switzerland popped into her head. These two had the same hairstyle! Then she recalled the little girl that always followed right behind him. His sister, right? So this was the Dark version of his little sister…what was her name again? "Liechtenstein!" she remembered aloud.

Dark Liechtenstein jumped at the sudden exclamation of her name. "Y-yes?"

"Oh, um, sorry, it's just that-" Maria's explanation was cut short when the little girl looked up at her. Along the side of her face, a distinct purple bruise marred her fair skin. That's when it hit Maria that Dark Liechtenstein was a servant of Dark Prussia's because her big brother was dead. "Did that red-eyed bastard do that to you?" she asked angrily, gesturing to the bruise.

"Oh, this?" She touched the side of her face lightly. "Yes, my master did, but it was my mistake." The young girl stared at the ground, collecting the shards, but her voice was sad, melancholy even. "I spilt his drink all over his bedroom carpet."

"That's no excuse for him to _hit _you! That's cruel," Maria exclaimed, irate at the abuse, "Selfish asshole!" She balled her fists, momentarily forgetting what she was doing, and the glass piece she held cut her palms. When her hands stung from the cuts, she dropped the glass, irritated.

"It's fine…it's better than being dead," Dark Liechtenstein whispered. She was barely audible, and her eyes seemed hollow, as if her spirit was void.

"That's still not acceptable! A young girl like you needs a caring home, not this. Does he always treat you like this?" Now Maria was deeply concerned for the other girl's mental and physical state. Dark Prussia was ten times worse than Dark Russia as a master. At least Dark Lithuania was not covered in bruises. At least he still had a spark of feeling in him, even if it was small.

Dark Liechtenstein did not answer, but just sniffed instead. "Y-yes…" she finally said, trembling, "B-but I have no where else to go, no one to turn to. He's s-so mean! I hate him. I hate him so much…" Tears began to form in her eyes, and she tried to stop them, but they rolled down her cheeks nonetheless. Her angst had obviously been bottled up until now, but Maria was willing to listen. Sympathetically, Maria pushed aside the tray of shattered glass and pulled the young girl into a hug and patted her back gently.

"Don't cry," she spoke in a hushed tone, "Everything's going to be okay."

However, this made her tears flow even more. "Don't say it's going to be okay!" Dark Liechtenstein sobbed, "That's what my big bruder used to say to me, but now…he's gone! Things will never be okay! He's dead and now…I'm all alone! This ribbon is all I have left of him." She caressed the fabric in her hair, as if it held her brother's own soul.

Maria could almost feel her heart break at her words, just like the glass did. As she watched the little girl cry and try to calm down, she had no idea what to say. Gradually, Maria's forlorn woe transformed into resentment and then into scorn. Her disgust for Dark Prussia could not be summed up with just a few words. The monster had killed three other nations and brought misery and torment unto those around him. Was there no justice in this world? Maybe justice just needed a little help.

"Listen," she put her hand on the young girl's shoulder and spoke with confidence, "I can't bring your brother back, but I can say this: things will get better."

Dark Liechtenstein shook her head. "How do you know?"

"I'll make sure they will." Maria put on a tender smile and helped her on her feet.

"You-you will?" she sniffled, picking up the tray and then meeting Maria's eyes.

"I will. Because you deserve better than this," Maria said softly. Dark Liechtenstein smiled and gave her a gracious look.

"Thank you, it's been a while since anyone's been nice to me," she said, tears subsiding. Then she continued on her way to the kitchen with the tray, standing a little taller.

When Maria finally reached her room, she felt like crap. _What the hell were you thinking?_She scolded herself silently. All she had done was gotten the girl's hopes up. But she should not have said what she said. One should never make promises that might be broken. Had she lied to Dark Liechtenstein when she said things were going to get better? But what else was she supposed to say? The girl was so depressed; Maria could not just ignore her. The only way for things to get better for the poor girl would be if Dark Prussia died, but that seemed impossible. The bastard was at the height of his power, his ferocity was unstoppable. Maybe it was wrong of her to comfort Dark Liechtenstein that way. Why was this world so screwed up? It had never gotten this...this dire back on her Earth. Then she began to think of all her friends she left behind when she fell through that portal. How she missed them. Maria never once imagined she would take all their bickering for granted! But more than everything else, she missed the laughter. When was the last time she laughed for real? She could not remember. So, homesick with an aching heart, she fell into a fitful slumber.

******  
The next day passed uneventfully for Maria, who practically went through her day like ghost, tired and dreary after sleeping poorly. Dark Prussia and Germany had finished rearming his soldiers with his new artillery, and then had already sent them on their way to Greece. Before she knew it, the Genesis were already on their way to Turkey. Their flight landed in the capital of Ankara, and they were quickly escorted to Dark Turkey's military camp, where he was waiting for them. The masked marauder greeted them sternly and invited the Genesis Powers inside his tent to coordinate their troops' attacks on Greece. While Dark Turkey conversed with Dark Prussia, Maria could only think about how hot is was in the baking sun. As she let her mind wander to forget about the heat, she noticed how burly the Turkish man was, and tried to picture what his face looked like under that mask of his. Even on her own Earth, she never saw Turkey's bare face. When the discussion was being wrapped up, she tuned into the conversation.

"So it's decided then. We'll attack tomorrow at dawn," Dark Turkey concluded with that quaint accent of his.

"Excellent," Dark Prussia nodded. "Our German troops will come from the north, yours will march in from the east, and Egypt's are sailing from the south. Everything will be timed perfectly."

"Your troops will get here by tomorrow?" asked the masked man, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course, they're sweeping through eastern Europe right now," Dark Prussia sneered, "I can practically feel their victory right now." He patted his biceps jokingly, but Maria did not doubt he was telling the truth. "Actually, even when we were still in Russia the German army was busy conquering east Europe. They'll have no problem being here by dawn, but my big guns were sent only a few days ago, so those won't arrive til later this month."

"But if we take Greece tomorrow, what use will the 'big guns' be?" Dark Turkey asked, confused.

"Kesesese, don't worry about it, you'll see." Dark Prussia sniggered, but the Turkish nation just changed the subject and began to discuss tactics. Maria badly wanted to tell him what really was the purpose of shipping the big guns here—they were going to be used against him! But she restrained herself. Dark Prussia was right; he'd know soon enough.

Dawn came quicker than Maria thought, and sure enough, Kiku was gently shaking her shoulders to wake her. Thankfully, sleep had been easier for her that night, and she shook the drowsiness off. The two of them strode through the camp as soldiers began taking down their tents, getting ready to move out, and Kiku briefed her about their attack. "The first wave of troops has already begun to overrun Greece's defenses. We will arrive on the battlefield with the second wave, so we must go take our places with the rest of the Genesis nations right now."

Kiku led her a little ways out of the camp where the second wave of German and Turkish troops was getting into formation, fully armed and prepared. Dark Prussia was waiting for them at the very front of the army, standing next to one of his giant metal tanks. "There you two are. We're just about to roll out!"

"Don't tell me we're also marching…" Maria sighed. It was going to be a long trip if that was the case.

"Us nations? Marching?" The albino laughed at the idea. "Of course not, we'll be going by horseback!" At this, she frowned involuntarily, and he tilted his head questioningly. "Got a problem with horses?"

"Well…let's just say my past experiences haven't been that great," she admitted, embarrassed. For some reason, ever horse she tried to ride bucked her off. Her people were great at horseback riding, so the failed trials stumped her. After almost breaking her tailbone, she decided to give up trying. While Dark Prussia chuckled, Kiku offered to let her ride with him. "Really?" she asked, delighted.

"Of course," Kiku smiled. Now she was actually glad that she could not ride alone. This was just one of Fate's little freebies. They were given a beautiful white stallion, and once Kiku finished saddling, he helped her up. When the other Genesis nations began to ride out, Maria wrapped her arms around Kiku's waist to keep from falling off. It was an innocent gesture, but that did not mean she did not enjoy it.

"Thanks," she murmured in his ear. Even though she could not see his face, she could tell he was smiling softly.

"It's fine. To be honest, I haven't ridden a horse like this in a while," he answered.

"I didn't think anyone rode horses to battle anymore."

"No one does, it's too old-fashioned. But Prussia wants a grand entrance, and this is his idea of flare," Kiku explained, smirking at the pompous implication. True, knights looked more valiant atop their horses, but Dark Prussia was no knight in shining armor. At least it broke the monotony of the war operations, and plus Maria got to ride with Kiku.

As they cantered along their way through the terrain, not getting too far ahead of the army behind them, Maria's stomach knotted and she began to glance around fretfully. Why did she feel so anxious? As she worried for reasons unknown to her, little things started to bother her—the heat made her lips chapped, beads of sweat formed on her forehead, the bright sun made her eyes hurt. Something was wrong, that much she knew, but what?

"What's the matter?" asked Kiku, who was adeptly reading her mood again. He could probably feel the uneven beating of her heart that came from anxiety as she held on to him.

"Oh, it's nothing…" But Kiku glanced back to show that he knew that something was bugging her. Of course, reading the atmosphere was his thing. Sighing, she continued, "I just have this feeling that something bad is going to happen."

After surveying the other Genesis Powers, he replied, "You're the only one who seems to think so. Everyone else is confident we'll take Greece. It's just one of him against all of us, but if you feel that way, then we should not let down our guard." His hand moved to the hilt of his katana that hung at his side, as if to make sure it was still in its place. Maria raised an eyebrow.

"You actually trust my hunch?"

"Hai, intuition is one our greatest defenses, especially as a nation." Thinking back, the last time she had such a noticeable premonition was just before she had traveled to Poland, just before he was murdered. Her throat went dry at the thought. What could happen now? Following Kiku's example, she too checked her twin knives at her belt. They were still there, but her gut feeling was only getting worse.

Eventually, as the rode on, Maria could see the plumes of smoke rising in the distance from the Grecian towns being raided by the invading forces. German and Russian planes flew overhead, humming and whirring, as they unleashed their flurry of bombs upon the devastated cities. Her sympathies went out to the poor civilians as she flashed back to the invasion of the Philippine Islands. When they drew nearer, she could hear their screams and even see the tallest buildings collapse from their heights as the bombs exploded. By the time the Genesis Powers reached the first Grecian city in their path, much of it had been reduced to rubble. Most of the survivors of the first wave of troops had evacuated, escaping the urban areas that were targeted by the fighter planes. The invaders had definitely taken this first city with ease, using the element of surprise, so the riders and the second wave of forces pushed forward, passing through the city completely unchecked.

When they came to the second city in their path, they found that they had caught up to the first wave of soldiers. The Greek army had set up defenses along the edge of this city, which was being evacuated as quickly as possible, but the invaders were breaking through and nothing stopped the fighter planes from dropping their explosives. It was evident that the city would soon fall to the Genesis army, but the Greek soldiers still fought in vain. Gunfire rang out continuously as the two forces fought to gain ground, but edifices and buildings crumbled and toppled down at the unrelenting rain of bombs that pummeled the city. Soon the area would be unrecognizable, nothing but heaps of debris.

As the Genesis nations closed the distance between themselves and the war zone, Maria saw a lone figure standing before them, wielding a large cross in his left hand. Even as the horses pulled up in front of him, she could tell how sickly pale he was. Sweat poured down his face and he was breathing hard. Dark Prussia's black horse whinnied as it lifted its front hooves in the air to come to an abrupt stop.

"Kesesese, you don't look so good," he chuckled. "You might as well surrender now. I might just spare your life." His own sword glinted in the sunlight as he unsheathed it for good measure.

"Listen to him, Greece," Dark Japan warned, "You don't have a chance against us."

"Not this time, Japan," Dark Greece declared. "There's no way I'm just going to come quietly." His voice was steely calm, yet Maria could see the hidden fear in his eyes. Even he knew that there was no hope for him like this.

Dark Turkey smirked, "I was hoping you'd say that." At his bombastic, deleterious tone, Maria felt Kiku's muscles tense, but she knew why. Back on her Earth, he would tell her about all his visits to her Greece, who became a close friend of his. He absolutely hated seeing Dark Greece at the mercy of these heartless nations, and hated even more that he could not do a thing to help him.

Dark Prussia dismounted his black stallion, brandishing his blade, his red eyes as malicious as ever. "Your stupid little cross won't protect you from me." As he took a step forward, Dark Greece took two back, his hands trembling. "Tell me, Greece, are you prepared to die today?"

Maria closed her eyes. This was something she did not want to see again. Watching Dark Poland die was hard enough, and she did not need another murder haunting her memory. Before anything could happen however, a single gunshot ripped through the air, causing Maria to open her eyes involuntarily. Dark Prussia jumped backward to avoid the bullet at the last second. When they all turned in the direction of the bang, half a mile away there was Dark America, who still had his pistol aimed in their direction, with the rest of the Vertex Union behind him, all of them ready for battle. She was still in shock, they had come out of nowhere, but Dark Japan stammered, "W-where did you-How did you…?"

As the Vertex Union came forward, Dark America leered, "Got your SOS, Greece." He spoke as if the Genesis were not even present, totally ignoring them. "Now that we've got your back, you have nothing to worry about."

Dark Greece just looked at the American, surprised and a bit annoyed at his nerve to show up at the last possible moment, yet still relieved that he came with his allies. "You have stupendous timing…" he muttered.

"I know," Dark America replied cockily, "We came from the south, and on the way up here, our forces chased all the Egyptian invaders back to their desert. I didn't know Egypt could run so fast."

"That idiot," uttered Dark Turkey spitefully.

"It doesn't matter!" Dark Prussia yelled at the American nation, "We'll still take this country, and crush you along with it!" He was clearly outraged by Dark America's arrogant demeanor, and at his words, the rest of the Genesis nations hopped off their horses, getting their weapons. Wisely and quickly, Dark Greece retreated behind his saviors' line of attack. During a moment of dreadful tension, the Vertex Union and the Genesis Powers scowled and glared at each other menacingly. And it was in this moment, Maria's chest tightened. That feeling she had earlier had transformed into crazy butterflies, and now something told her that this would be the battle that would decide the victor, the battle that would determine the tide of the war. Revenge was written in the Vertex Union's faces and bloodlust in the Genesis Powers.

"Kolkolkol," Dark Russia sneered, "America, shouldn't you be taking care of your brother?"

"Fuck you! You'll pay for what you've done!" Dark America roared. Dark Russia took a step forward, his grip on his pipe tightening, but Dark Britain stopped him.

"Wait. You've fought him every battle before this. It's my turn, so let me take care of him." The Briton grinned devilishly, feeling empowered by Arthur's temporary revival of his powers.

"Bring it on, Britain! I've beat you before and I'll do it again!" Even as Dark America shouted, Alfred too drew his pistol.

Dark Britain chuckled, as if the battle were already won. "Come on, Arthur." For a moment, there was a slight hesitation in Arthur's eyes, but it disappeared and he nodded. Then Dark Britain surged forward towards his opponent, releasing a burst of green light from his palm. The Battle for Greece had begun.

Dark Spain hammered his axe down on Dark Prussia's sword, letting all his anger out. He fought like never before with the image of Dark Romano's dead body still as fresh in his mind as the day he knelt beside it. He had promised that he would avenge his _tomate_ and he was determined to fulfill that oath. With each swing, a loud _clang! _resonated from the collision of the two blades. However, the albino was able to block every strike, though not counterattacking just yet.

"Kesesese, Spain, we've fought each other twice already with the same result. Time we broke the monotony, don't you think?" Dark Prussia laughed as he deflected the axe once more.

"Don't you worry. It'll be different this time," Dark Spain growled back, "I'll send you to the gates of Hell! And even that's too good for you!" He raised his axe over his head and brought it down upon his opponent, his fury driving it forcefully. The Prussian tactfully blocked upward with his own sword, catching the strike, then kicking the Spaniard in his vulnerable stomach.

"That's some big talk. I hope you can back up your words," he chuckled as Dark Spain got to his feet and charged him once more.

Dark China, with Dark Hong Kong faithfully at his side, slashed his broad sword at Dark Russia, who tried to avert the blade with his pipe, but was only just too slow. Blood dripped from a define cut left in his arm. "You'll regret invading my homeland!" bark the Chinese nation. As Dark Russia clasped his iron pipe and began his assail on his opponent, who agilely but narrowly dodged his attacks, Dark Hong Kong tried to move in on the offensive before being stopped by Ivan.

"Don't you know that two versus one isn't very fair?" Ivan shook his head, tapping his own pipe in his hand. Dark Hong Kong grinded his teeth angrily and revealed his curved dagger in one hand and explosives in the other. The Russian frowned at the sight of his weapons before jumping out of the way as his adversary threw one of his deadly ammunition.

Dark Greece was barely able to keep Dark Turkey's curved sword at bay. The blade was only inches from his face as he pushed back with his metal cross. Not only was Dark Turkey a powerful opponent, but the Greek nation was already suffering from the invasion. "Would you really kill me?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"I've been meaning too," the Turkish man replied with a smirk. He knew he had the upper hand, as he usual had. His rival had always fought with a cross, not a real weapon, as if it gave him divine help. But today, he would prove that it was just an ordinary piece of metal.

"For you, brother," Dark Italy whispered to himself as he clutched his double edged sword. If his brother had the strength to sacrifice himself to protect him, then the least he could do was make sure his soul rested in peace by avenging him. Dark Italy stood before Dark Germany, glaring and summoning all his willpower, while the blonde chuckled cruelly.

"Poor Italy. Vithout Romano, who's going to protect you now? Not that he vas doing a good job anyvay, he couldn't even protect himself." Dark Germany stopped laughing unexpectedly and his voice became dangerously serious. "He died because you ran avay. A covard like you doesn't deserve to live in this vorld."

The Italian tightened his grip on his sword and his eyes grew dark. "You're right," he said softly, almost inaudible, "Maybe he died because I was a coward…" Then his voice grew into a shout, piqued and bold, "But I'm done running away!" At this, Dark Germany scowled and cracked his whip mercilessly. Lovino, who saw the other Italian fighting for the sake of his counterpart, joined him and together they averted the stinging whip, trying to get close enough to their foe to strike.

Antonio and Dark France approached Dark Japan from opposite sides, but he was not worried; he had dealt with multiple opponents before. As they both charged him, the Japanese nation flawlessly landed a double back handspring, putting his enemies in front of him where he could see them both. Realizing it would be a bad idea to underestimate their Genesis foe, Antonio and Dark France coordinated their next attacks, lunging and slicing synchronously. However, Dark Japan moved with graceful speed, weaving in and out of their strikes, inflicting cuts on them while not being harmed at all. He was indeed a nation not to be trifled with, having much more years of experience and more aggression. While the other two nations took heavy breathes and had sweat dripping down their faces, Dark Japan's composure remained poised and somber.

Gilbert was uncomfortable as he ducked under Dark Austria's slice that meant to severe off his head. Of course, the odds were still in his awesome favor, but something inside of him made him feel…well, not as awesome. He was certain that he could defeat Dark Austria if he put all his effort into the fight, but, for some reason, Gilbert felt as if he did not have the right to win. This Austria was so determined to have his revenge for the death of his beloved Dark Hungary, and even though Gilbert was not the one who killed her, he still felt guilty. Normally, he did not have such sentimental feelings back on his Earth—he remembered how easy it was to win Silesia from his Austria—but here the situation was completely flipped upside down. Dark Austria fought with a purpose, but why was he fighting? Deep down, he knew that beating Dark Austria this way would not make him feel awesome at all. Damn it. Why now, of all times, did he have to start feeling sorry for people?

As her counterpart dueled Francis, Maria battled shoulder-to-shoulder with Kiku and Ludwig on either side of her, making somewhat of a triangle, as the Dark Asian nations that she had fought previously on beach—Dark Thailand, Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam—surrounded them. Ludwig's shoulder was still in the process of healing, so Maria made extra sure to cover his weaker side. Kiku crossed his katana with Dark Thailand's dual swords while Maria fended off Dark Korea, who furiously wanted a rematch. As Dark Korea swiped his chain scythes at her, she checked them each time with fluid movements, but was unable to throw jabs of her own. She knew she could have easily dodged and countered, but if she ducked, whichever comrade was behind her, Kiku or Ludwig, could be hit from behind. Meanwhile, Ludwig used his whip to keep Dark Taiwan and Vietnam far enough to make their weapons useless. They were harder to hit however, being lithe with petite and slim forms.

Alfred and his counterpart were forced to be light on their toes if they wanted to survive their battle with the magical Britons. They did not have the time to even shoot their pistols, only enough time to get to their feet and then rolled out of the way of the next deadly blast of magic. Dark Britain was being especially ruthless, laughing maniacally as he threw his radiant balls of pure energy from his fingertips. Arthur too shot his own magic at their adversaries, but with a pokerface, suppressing any feelings of reluctance. The two attacked so belligerently and vehemently that the American nations were driven further into the ruined city as they avoided being blown to bits by explosive spells. The Britons advanced tirelessly as the American nations had no choice but to flee through the streets lined with debris and toppled edifices. Since the invading forces had ravaged through this half of city fairly quickly, not another person was in sight—or rather, not another living person was in sight. The lucky civilians were able to evacuate and escape as the buildings fell to wreckage, but many were killed in the invasion.

The German planes still bombarded what was left of the city, wanting to leave it totally destroyed once their air force was done with it. The ground rumbled as a bomb was dropped in the near vicinity, collapsing yet another building already weakened by preceding bombings. As the Americas ran past the building, its structure was blown apart, large fragments of stone flying in every direction. Alfred was thrown completely off balance and tumbled for quite a few feet. When he picked himself up, the dust was just beginning to clear up, and he found his counterpart lying on the ground, groaning, his leg stuck underneath a fallen chunk of stone. Dark America tried desperately to wriggle himself free, but it was no use. They heard a dark snicker, and the dust settled just enough to make out the figures of Arthur and Dark Britain, the latter wearing a wicked smile on his face after seeing Dark America's plight. Alfred cursed. He had lost hold of his pistol when the building exploded, and so did his counterpart.

"Just go, Alfred! Run!" shouted Dark America, knowing how hopeless his position was.

"No, I can't just leave you like this," Alfred objected, standing in front of his counterpart, acting like a shield much like Maria had done for her own counterpart on the Philippine Islands. If Maria had been brave enough to do that, then he could be to. To ditch now and abandon his comrade was the cowardly thing to do. What kind of hero would he be? So he resolved to guard his defenseless counterpart until the very end. Dark America was bewildered, not understanding why Alfred was willing to risk his life for his sake. He had never known such virtue, and it left him speechless.

"Isn't this just perfect?" chortled Dark Britain, leering at the fallen nation and his unarmed counterpart. Then he turned to Arthur. "Well, what are you waiting for? Kill them!"

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From the Author: Dang, I can't believe we're this far into the story already! Well, to be honest, I planned to finish this earlier, but I decided to make it a bit longer. But now that we've reached the final battle, I'm super excited and I hope you guys are too! Time for the cheesy cliffhanger questions: Who will win the war? The Vertex Union or the Genesis Powers? All the nations will be forever changed by this last battle, but which ones will permanently meet their fate?

Thanks for the millionth time for ALL the support! I just love my reviewers! It's like the more reviews I get, the more it makes me want to write :D so I can't thank you guys enough! I'll be doing what I did last chapter by answering my last reviews and showing my undying gratitude!

**itgirl18: **I agree with you all the way, my readers like Maria a lot more, which is definitely a good thing! Thanks again!

**Juusan13: **Your insightful comments have been a huge help! It's been a major confidence booster and it makes me want to write even better as an author. I won't let you down! :)

**The Eternal Empress: **The war is pointless, like you said, and you're absolutely right! The dark counterparts have a negative affect on them that they have to overcome if they ever want to get home.

**DragonnaTheDogDemon**: I take it my experiment was a success? :D Thanks so much!

**NinjaRoll: **Isn't Prirhon just adorable? Just wanted to give you a special thanks for all your reviews :) Yours have been so motivational and thats what keeps me writing, so thanks a bunch!

Thanks guys! This next chapter will be the craziest one yet, so stay tuned!


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Do I own hetalia? Nope.

Note: Drum roll please? Wow I'm sooo excited! Just an FYI I wrote this whole fanfic along the way, because I seriously take all my reviews into consideration! So thanks a bunch for all your support and advice! Now, without further ado, enjoy!

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"K-kill them?" stammered Arthur, completely rattled by the command.

"Yes, that's what I just said," barked Dark Britain, vexed at having to repeat himself. "I don't want to waste anymore magic, so I need you to do it for me." He tapped his foot impatiently and looked at his counterpart expectantly.

The other Briton shifted his weight nervously. "Is there another way?"

His question just infuriated Dark Britain, who exclaimed, "Another way? Leniency is for the weak!" At Arthur's hesitation, he continued, "Do you want to know the solution for our decline? I have come across a spell that can restore my powers and even increase them tenfold! All it requires is the body of a dead nation, but not just any nation. It has to be one of the most powerful, one of the G8, and America is the perfect one! The spell allows me to absorb all of his strength and resources in order to save my country. Once I gain all of his strength, Britain will be the strongest nation in this entire world. Don't you want that? I only need one body; you can have the other to save yourself! Didn't you say you'd do whatever it takes to save your nation? We both need this. So man the bloody hell up and kill them!"

Arthur was so shocked at his outburst that he felt like he was paralyzed. He never imagined it would come to this. It was true that he said that he would save his nation no matter the consequences, but he did not know that he would have to kill someone else! But if he did not do this, his nation would fade away forever…

Alfred, recalcitrant as ever, remained guarding his trapped counterpart. They were both alarmed at Dark Britain's exclamation, and Alfred gulped. The lunatic was going to use his counterpart's body to suck out his essence? He had been in a situation like this before, at the mercy of Arthur. Back then, the Briton did not pull the trigger, but this time was different because his whole nation was at stake. Was this really the end for him? Was he really going to die at the hands of his big brother? The one who had raised him as a kid?

Eyes wide, Arthur looked back and forth between Alfred and Dark Britain indecisively, but when his gaze lingered on Alfred's one last time, the American braced himself. In that moment, he seriously thought his life was over, so he was astonished when he heard Arthur say, "No."

"Excuse me?" yelled Dark Britain, outraged. "Fine! I'll do it myself!" With that, he turned towards the Americans, raising his arm.

"I won't let you hurt my brother!" shouted Arthur. After all that he had been through with Alfred, he could not bring himself to kill him or watch him die. Sure, he was often annoyed by the American and his reckless habits, but deep down inside, they would always be brothers. So, just as Dark Britain was about to release his fatal spell, Arthur did something he did not even know was possible. He recalled all the magic he had lent his counterpart at once, though he was not sure how he did it. Radiant green light seemed to flow out of Dark Britain and fly directly into Arthur, who felt himself getting stronger at the intake of his magic. After a matter of seconds, the process was over, leaving Dark Britain totally powerless, magic drained. The dark counterpart whirled around and gaped at him for a second in disbelief. Then he grew enraged.

"You little GIT! How dare you break our bargain! You're a traitor, just like that girl Maria! I bet she was able to manipulate you and destroy your judgment! Have you forgotten what it means to be a nation? You'll regret ever betray-" His tirade ended abruptly as his eyes rolled back and he crumbled to the ground, revealing Alfred standing behind him, clutching a heavy stone. Once he was sure Dark Britain was unconscious, Alfred ran up and embraced Arthur in a big bear hug.

When he pulled back, his eyes were teary behind his glasses, but he was smiling. "A-Arthur…" He had so much to say to Arthur, but did not know how to say it. That was fine because the British nation understood and smiled back.

"I didn't hurt you then, and I won't hurt you now," he whispered.

"Hey, I don't want to interrupt, but please don't forget about me…" called Dark America.

Even though Dark Greece blocked Dark Turkey's slash, the force of his strike sent him to the ground. "Just give up already! When have you ever been able to defeat me in battle?" Dark Turkey barked. He stood before the Greek nation, his curved blade glistening wickedly in the sun.

"I won't let you take my home!" With that last word, Dark Greece got his feet and lunged in one swift motion, jabbing his enemy's forehead with the blunt end of his metal cross. The mask he wore ripped and tore away as Dark Turkey fell backwards. While he was still off balance, Dark Greece pushed forward and swung his cross like it was a baseball bat and smacked his cheek.

"Argh! You'll pay for that!" yelled Dark Turkey, but the fact that he was able to enrage him so gave Dark Greece something he really needed: hope. He still had a fair shot in this battle, and he was going to fight to free his country or die trying.

Ivan exhaled at the turn of events in his match with Dark Hong Kong. Ivan had evaded most of his ammunition completely except for one, which he cut to close and was left with a burning wound in his side. However, he was still standing and now his opponent was out of explosives. Now Ivan was at the advantage having much more brute force but Dark Hong Kong was not going to give up so easily. The Asian adversary unsheathed his curved dagger, etched with a dragon design along its uneven blade. He stabbed forward quickly, making fast strikes continuously and managing to break through Ivan's guard every so often, but the knife could not push deep enough to cause any real damage. It would take a much more lethal weapon to injure a Russian nation.

However, landing a crucial blow on Dark Hong Kong was not easy to do either. Because Ivan swung his pipe so hard, he was able to anticipate the strike seconds before it happened, giving him just enough time to move out of the way. But concentrating on the movements of the pipe was also a big mistake. As Ivan swiped his weapon at his temple, Dark Hong Kong ducked and Ivan threw his free hand into his stomach. While he was off balance, Ivan punched him one more time in the cheek, knocking the Asian out cold.

Dark China saw his comrade fall in his peripheral vision, and broke away from his fight with Dark Russia at once to run to his side. "Hong Kong!" he cried, worried that Ivan would try to finish him off permanently. But Ivan did not move, and Dark China stood over his unconscious friend, ready to defend him. Now the two Russian nations were on opposite sides of him, the odds of his survival terribly bleak. Dark China could not fight one without turning his back on the other.

"Now, Ivan," called Dark Russia, "Let's end this quickly!" But once again, Ivan did not budge. His counterpart wanted to kill them, but why should he? Even if he had been brutal in the past, Ivan had never really killed another nation, not like this. He thought back to his promise with Maria. True, these were Dark Nations before him and the promise did not apply, but still… Ivan had only ever wanted others to become one with him, and kill Dark China and Hong Kong would not help, so there was no point. Didn't he say that two versus one was not fair? Dark China was just trying to protect his comrade, and he did not deserve to die for that. When he and Maria locked pinkies, he told himself that he might not have to be lonely anymore, because he might actually make a friend. And making the right decision now could be the first step away from the cold and lonely world he had always lived in.

"No. You can do it yourself," Ivan replied, taking a few steps away from Dark China and Hong Kong to clarify his intentions.

"WHAT?" Dark Russia burst out in rage. Then he shook his head angrily. "Maybe I didn't hear you correctly. Why don't you say that again?"

"You heard me crystal clear." To prove his point, Ivan dropped his pipe, which clanged as it hit the ground. Dark China gawked at him, dumbfounded, but still on guard in case it was all a sham. But Dark Russia looked ready to blow an artery as Ivan turned and walked away.

Even with his shoulder hindering him a bit, Ludwig found himself easily overtaking Dark Taiwan and Vietnam. History had given him more experience with full scale war, so it was to be expected. His opponents just could not find a way around his stinging whip, but they tried anyway. Dark Vietnam made the mistake of blocking with her spear, and the whip wrapped itself around her weapon. Ludwig was able to disarm her without really trying. Now that he had her spear, he used her own weapon against her while she was defenseless, slapping her temple with the blunt side of the long stick. As she fell to the ground, Dark Taiwan saw her chance and attacked with her tonfas. However, Ludwig saw her coming and sidestepped, parrying her jab out of the way. She had thrown too much of her weight into the attack and with her target out of the way, Ludwig was able to knock her off her feet and she slammed onto the ground face first. While he did not enjoy thrashing girl opponents around, they were the ones who attacked first. Ludwig could not remember the last time a battle had gone so well for him. Normally something went wrong because he had to rescue Feliciano from their enemies. Feli...

Meanwhile, Kiku overwhelmed Dark Thailand, striking so fast his opponent barely had time to breathe. Dark Thailand was lucky he had dual swords or he might not have blocked all of Kiku's slashes. With his signature katana, the Japanese nation fought with a deadly finesse; Dark Thailand did not stand a chance by himself. The Dark Asian nation panicked and lost his fighting stance form, concerned only with checking Kiku's blade. But this only left him even more vulnerable to calculated strikes, and Kiku was able to kick one of his swords away from him and use his katana to knock the other from his adversary's hand. Then the Japanese nation spun around and caught Dark Thailand in the cheek with the heel of his foot, a decisive defeat.

Maria thought she had the right to say she was fighting like a true warrior. She received nothing more than a few minor cuts from Dark Korea and his tsukurigama. Frustrated, her foe began to make rash moves, not thinking before throwing each strike. As a result, he could not keep a cool head and control his weapons, losing his vital accuracy. Once more, he threw one of his chain scythes at her, and Maria nimbly sidestepped and caught hold of the chain as it flew by her head. Then she yanked it towards her, pulling Dark Korea into closer range. After driving her foot into his stomach, he bent over involuntarily, allowing her land a solid elbow into his unguarded cheek. Positive he could no longer fight, she counted herself lucky that he fell for the same trick twice.

Dark Germany knew his Italian opponents had no chance of defeating him, and Dark Italy and Lovino knew it too, but there was no going back for them now. But his whip prevented them from getting close enough to fight back without receiving a painful lash or two. Then Dark Italy remembered what his brother had said before he died. _"We can have those kinds of times again; we just have to win their war once and for all."_ Those kinds of times again. The times when he and his brother could just relax, have fun, and even argue for the sake of arguing. Before the war, Dark Italy never thought he would miss his brother's vulgarity. But now they would never be able to tease each and he would never hear his Dark Romano talk about better days in the future. All because of this bastard with a whip.

Dark Italy began to make his way forward again, and Dark Germany smirked and cracked his whip. A vicious lash to the cheek made tears spring in Dark Italy's eyes, but he continued to press forward. Another lash to the chest tore his clothes, but this time he endured the pain. This pain was nothing compared to the pain of his brother dearest. Another lash, then another, but he did not stop moving toward the blonde. Soon he was almost close enough to use his double edge sword, and another lash hit the side of his neck. It was the harshest sting, but Dark Italy too close to let that stop him now. He leapt, propelling his sword at Dark Germany, who tried to evade his attack. The blade sliced his shoulder, leaving a deep red gash. But while his arm was still extended, Dark Germany used his free hand to grab Dark Italy by the forehead and slammed him to the ground with all his strength. Dark Italy cried out as he hit the ground, and blood trickled from the sides of his head.

Dark Germany laughed sinisterly. "That vas a nice slash, but there's no vay you could kill me." He pulled out a knife from his belt and look down at his prey wickedly.

"Don't forget you were fight two of us!" called Lovino as he charged the German, who checked his strike with his knife.

Feliciano, who was watching from behind a Vertex Union tank much like last time, knew he had to help his brother and counterpart before it was too late. He ran as fast as he could from his hiding spot, but by the time he got there, Dark Germany had knocked Lovino's weapon from his hands. Before Lovino could do anything else, Dark Germany had his hands around his throat, strangling him.

"Lucky me," Dark Germany smiled cruelly, "I get to kill Romano twice."

"Son of a bitch…" Lovino choked out as he gasped for breath.

Feliciano could not take it anymore. He could not just stand by while his brother suffocated to death. "Ve, over here!" He picked up a rock and threw it at Dark Germany's head. The German turned and dropped Lovino at the sight of Feliciano. "You said your problem was with North Italy, and I'm North Italy too, so leave my brother alone!" When the blonde took a few steps towards him, Feliciano lost of all his wits and turned to run, but instead the whip wrapped around his waist and pulled him back, sending him crashing to the ground.

"You're not getting avay from me this time," growled Dark Germany. And just to make sure of that, the German nation stomped down hard on Feliciano's leg. A sickening crunch could be heard, and excruciating pain shot through his body. Feliciano let out a desperate, agonized cry that pierced the battlefield.

Ludwig knew his best friend's scream anywhere. He looked in the direction it came from and his heart stopped. His counterpart was about to murder him, and Ludwig did not know what to do. He could not stop Dark Germany because they were counterparts, so they could not touch each other. But Ludwig was not the only one who heard the scream.

Kiku acted as soon as he heard his old ally's cry of pain, dashing instinctively. As Dark Germany raised his knife, the Japanese nation slid in between him and Feliciano. Without another thought, Kiku drove his katana through Dark Germany's midsection before he could use his knife. When he withdrew his katana from the body, blood stained Dark Germany's uniform and dripped from the tip of the blade.

Dark Spain had lost. Now this was the end for him. Dark Prussia had disarmed him skillfully and now the Spaniard found himself on the ground looking up at the Prussian, whose red eyes shone with bloodlust.

"I must admit, you've been a formidable opponent, but in the end, I always win," Dark Prussia said as he put the tip of his sword at Dark Spain's throat, about to take his life. Only one thing could stop him from claim his life. Dark Prussia whirled around when he heard his brother's cry. He turned just in time to see Kiku remove his bloody katana and Dark Germany's body fall. Dead. Dark Prussia roared in pure rage, forgot about Dark Spain, and attacked Kiku.

Dark Prussia unleashed all his fury with every strike. It never once crossed his mind that his brother would die, but now that he was slain, the albino could only grasp one thought. Kill. Even though Kiku was supple and swift, he still had a hard time keeping up with the vehement Prussian. He had been given barely enough time to process that he had actually killed another nation, but right now he had to concentrate on the current threat. One wrong move and Dark Prussia would destroy him.

Ludwig knelt by Feliciano's side. "Are you okay?" He bit his lip as he examined the Italian's leg, which was bent in an unnatural angle.

"L-Ludwig…what are you doing? You're on the Genesis Powers, aren't you?" stuttered Feliciano, voice still wrought with pain.

"That doesn't matter. Don't you remember that ve made a promise? Vhen I said that I'd be there vhenever you needed me, I meant it."

At this Feliciano sniffed, but smiled. He threw his arms around his best friend. "I knew it! I knew you'd always be there for me!"

The German smiled back, "I'm glad you're still alive."

Kiku knew he could not hold out much longer, and he was right. Dark Prussia slashed his sword with all his strength and anger, and even though Kiku blocked it, the force of his strike was too much for the katana to handle, and the blade _snapped in half_. As his katana split in two, Dark Prussia threw his fist into Kiku's temple and then roundhouse kicked him in the gut, and Kiku tumbled back a few feet. When the Japanese nation tried to get back on his feet, he stumbled dizzily and his vision was diplopic. The Prussian had hit him in the head so hard that he was suffering a concussion. He fell on his hands and knees, trying to reorient himself.

"There's no way you can continue fighting. Now you'll pay for killing my brother, you traitorous bastard!" Dark Prussia snarled. But before he could come any closer, Maria stood in his way.

"Why don't you fight someone who can actually stand?" she shouted crossly, "You don't have a right to talk about traitors or even revenge! Not after everything you've done, everyone you've killed!" She brandished her twin knives, ready to defend Kiku.

"Stupid girl," he hissed back, "I've taught you everything you know about those weapons, and yet you still challenge me? Do you have a death wish?"

"This whole time, I couldn't stand you! You're a monster, a demon. Now it's time you got what you deserve!" Her words pushed the Prussian over the edge and he lunged at her wrathfully. His attacks were so fast that both her knives were needed to check them. She had sparred the Prussian before when they practiced before the battles, but now that they were fighting for real, Maria knew she could not match his ferocity. He truly did fight like a demon.

Aware that once he had killed her Dark Prussia would go after Kiku, Maria subtly drew her foe away from the others and into the city. With each block, she would take a couple steps back, slowly but steadily making her way through the deserted streets of the ruined Greek city. Dark Prussia did not even notice; he was too focused on his duel. She had to be extremely careful not to back into any fallen debris or into a wall. Between her own carefully planned retreat and defending herself, Maria could not make any counterattacks. Once she could no longer hear or see the nations' battlefield outside the city, Maria stopped backing up and tried to fight back. Hopefully she had given the others enough time to regroup.

Thanks to her elfin, agile form, Maria evaded most of his slashes and thrusts, but still could not land any blows herself. It was true that the Prussian had taught her how to strike, so he easily anticipated where and how she would attempt to stab him.

"Once I've killed you, I'll bring your body back to that bastard Kiku. Then I'll relish in his pain over losing you. When I'm done with him, he'll being crying tears of blood during a slow and painful death," Dark Prussia growled as he swung his sword, tormenting her with his plans. "Too bad you won't be there to see it. His death will be quite the show."

"SHUT UP!" she shrieked as she jumped back to avoid his slice. The images he was planting in her head were too much. In her hysteria she swiped both her knives at his head impetuously, leaving her torso unguarded. Seeing his opportunity, Dark Prussia ducked then thrust his sword. Maria tried to dodge, but not fast enough. The blade missed her navel but still pierced her side. Blood flowed from the wound, hot and sticky, and a pang of pain made her want to scream. Just looking at the abrasion made her nauseous.

Dark Prussia laughed maniacally, knowing he had put her in a critical condition. All he had to do was finish her. Suddenly, a tall building near them exploded and began to collapse upon impact of a dropped bomb. The ground shook violently, and Maria did not waste a second. She threw one of her knives while Dark Prussia was distracted, but due to the rumbling, her aim was a bit off. As the blade sank into his shoulder, Maria turned and ran as fast as she could, clutching her wounded side, racing through the streets. Dark Prussia started to give chase, but the crumbling building forced him to take a different route to head her off.

She ran without direction, without knowing where she was. But she could not keep running forever. The wound in her side sapped her strength, so she hid in an abandoned apartment building. Half of its structure had been destroyed and most of its roof had caved in, but all the other buildings on the street had been decimated. Leaning on the wall, she rushed through a hallway and ducked into one of the rooms. Unable to move any more, she leaned on the wall next to the doorway and slid down into a sitting position. Maria could see the ashen sky through a gaping hole in the ceiling, and large cracks in the walls proved the building to be highly unstable, weakened by the bombings. She seemed to be in a bedroom, but the bed had been crushed by a chunk of stone that left the hole in the roof.

Glancing down at her side, all hope of surviving left her. The wound was taking a heavy toll on her body already. Her breaths were raspy and she felt lightheaded from the loss of blood. Even if Dark Prussia did not find her, she would just bleed to death here. But he would find her, she was certain. All he had to do was follow the trail of blood she left behind. She hoped that when he found her, he would grant her a quick death, but that was doubtful. Gulping, she tried not to picture what he would do to her. She did not want to die, and the notion frightened her.

Before being trapped in this strange world, she had forgotten what genuine fear felt like, but very recently, she had gotten her fair share of near-heart-attacks. Now, her heart pounded against her rib cage once more, and she shut her eyes tight, praying that he would not find her. She pressed her back against the cold, crumbly, cement wall, and then took a deep breath to try to slow her heart rate. Suddenly she heard footsteps coming down the hall, getting closer, and her eyes widened as she clamped her own hands on her mouth to suppress a startled gasp.

If he found her, it was all over. Or maybe it wasn't. The others were still alive…she hoped, but could not be sure. The footsteps were drawing nearer at an increased pace, and so she rested her head on the wall as well. She was going to die, but now she found herself accepting the thought. Soon her pursuer would be close enough to smell the mixture of sweat and blood coming from the wound he inflicted upon her.

Glancing down at her long, wavy, deep brown hair that was tangled and matted, she remembered the last time she had spent so much time perfecting it. It saddened her, and she reflected upon the last few days. How did things end up like this? The situation had gotten so complicated, the circumstances so dire. Without meaning to do so, her mind wandered to when the terrible things first started…

But the sound of the footsteps right outside the door way snapped her back to reality. So this was it. She closed her eyes and waited. If he was going to kill her now, then she did not want the last thing she ever saw to be his twisted, bloodthirsty red eyes. Maria heard the footsteps reach her, and stop before her…but the last thing she expected to hear was her voice.

"Maria! Wake up! Please, please be alive…" It was her own voice, yet Maria had not spoken. When she opened her eyes, there was the Dark Philippines, crouching in front of her. "Thank god I found you first!" The other girl talked in an urgent whisper.

"W-what are you doing here…?" Maria murmured weakly.

"Never mind that," her counterpart said as her eyes surveyed the room. "Maria, I need you to get up. There's a closet over there." The other girl pointed to the opposite end of the small room. So there was a closet. Maria could not believe she missed that when she stumbled in, but then again she was disoriented. "Please get up, I can't help you since I can't touch you," the Dark Philippines pleaded.

Maria nodded and used all the energy she had left to pick herself up and limp to the closet obediently. Once she was inside, her counterpart shut the door. "Stay here," she instructed. Maria cracked open the door just enough so she could peer into the room. The Dark Philippines took out her hair tie and let her long locks tumble down past her shoulders. Then she went to where Maria had sat by the doorway and dipped her hand into the pool of blood left over. With her bloody hand, she smeared the red liquid on her cheek and then cupped her hands to scoop some more blood to rub on her side. After that she stood in the center of the room, faced the doorway, wielding one of her knives.

After a moment, another set of footsteps could be heard from the hallway. As they grew louder, the Dark Philippines tensed and she got into her fighting stance. That's when Dark Prussia strode into the room.

"There you are, little bitch," seethed the albino. "Now there's nowhere for you to run."

"Wasn't planning on it," her counterpart said back. It was only then that Maria, who still hid in the closet, realized what the Dark Philippines was doing. She was impersonating Maria!

"Take a good look, Maria," Dark Prussia told her counterpart, "Because I'm the last thing you'll see."

"Not if I kill you first!" exclaimed the Dark Philippines. She attacked the Prussian, surprising him with her ability to move light on her toes. The two dueled, moving in a tight circle around the small room, each trying to back the other into a corner.

"I'm impressed," Dark Prussia said as they crossed blades, "After that wound I gave you, I didn't expect you to have much fight left."

But then the Dark Philippines attempted to stab at his throat, and Dark Prussia grabbed her wrist before the blade could reach him. Her eyes grew wide and his lips curled into a devilish grin. Then he ran his sword right through her chest. Maria saw the whole thing from inside the closet. The Prussian's back was to her, concealing her counterpart, but she saw the blood splatter on the walls behind them.

Adrenaline coursed through Maria's veins and in her mirth she lost all reason. It was as if she had reached the breaking point to her sanity. Everything was lost to her: logic, feeling, pain. In that moment, she burst out of the closet, and while Dark Prussia's back was to her, she plunged her knife into the back of his neck.

The Prussian only had time to turn around and meet her chocolate brown eyes with his wide red ones before he fell. Never to harm another person again. But Maria did not stop to ponder what she had done, but immediately ran to her counterpart, who had also fallen backwards after the sword left her body. The other girl was still alive, but only just. "M-Maria…"

"I'm here. He's dead…" Maria replied softly, but then a wave of guilt and desperation crashed over her. "Why'd you do it? Why did you sacrifice your life for mine?"

"Because…" the other girl paused to cough out blood, then continued, "Because I could never be like you in this world. I could never be…happy. This Earth…it's lost. It's beyond saving. But yours isn't…that's why I want you to live and go back to your home with your friends. Live a life I could never have. Stop this war from happening on your Earth."

By now tears were flowing from Maria's eyes uncontrollably. Her counterpart did not have to do that for her! It wasn't fair! "Don't die, please don't die!"

"It's okay…for once, I got to make my own decision, and I'm glad I did. Promise me something?"

"Anything."

"Promise you'll live for both of us now?" Her voice was barely audible, nothing more than a whisper.

"I-I promise," Maria replied. The other girl smiled. It was a real smile, a beautiful one. Then she closed her eyes and her arms went slack. Maria wanted to take back any negative feelings she had ever felt toward the Dark Philippines. It was as if it was not just her counterpart that died, but a part of herself died with her. The two of them had so much in common yet acted so different. But they were both the Philippines, they were the same nation. Were they just two sides of the same coin then? Perhaps. "To the darker side of me…" Maria whispered. "Your death will not be in vain, I swear."

Maria wiped her tears away. She had two promises to keep now. To do that, she had to return to the battlefield and make sure her friends were alright. But when she stood up, she staggered, and fell to her knees again. "No, no, no!" Maria hugged her side, but could not stand. Now that the adrenaline was subsiding, all her strength was gone. Her vision blurred, and she tried to hang on to her consciousness, but she had lost too much blood. Everything faded away as the darkness engulfed her.

* * *

From the Author: Before you yell at me, I can assure this is not the end, there will be one more chapter! I would not be so evil as to end it like this! :P Wow, after writing this, I'm totally brain dead. But when I said this would be the craziest chapter yet, I meant it. The next chapter will be falling action and epilogue, so I hope this chapter was very climatic and gripping! I put everything I've got into this chapter, and if that wasn't enough, I'm truly sorry. But if you liked it, tell me please! I really wanted to test my writing skills when I made this fanfic, so I want to know how I did!

Thanks to everyone who has read this far! Without you guys, I couldn't have gotten this far either! Heck, thanks to those of you who hate it too because reading up to this point must've been hard for you XP But seriously, I can't thank my reviewers enough!

**CJWrites: **Do I still get my cookies? ;)

**chibibeanie: **I hope this chapter was satisfying in terms of justice, because I wanted each character to get what they deserved :)

**itgirl18: **Very insightful! I hope you also liked how things played out in this chapter, and thanks for all your reviews, they've really helped! But one thing: I never said Dark Canada was dead ;)

**MizzEvans13:** Hope I didn't make you wait to long! Thanks for the review haha shit did get real!

**Firihon and USUK FTW:** Did you like the way that part ended then? I hope so, but thanks so much for your support!

**NinjaRoll: **Yay, that's exactly what I was trying to mirror! It worked :) Thanks so much! I hope the story worked to your expectations!

**Juusan13: **:) I hope I didn't let you down! Thanks sooo much for all your reviews!

Thanks for all your support guys! You're all awesome!


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Guess what! Still don't own hetalia!

Note: Sorry this is a little late! I went on vacation, but I finally finished it! So when I said that this would be the last chapter, I lied. I decided to make the epilogue its own chap. But anyways, this is the falling action. Even though there's no action, I still think it'll be pretty interesting, so enjoy!

* * *

Blood. It was everywhere, and she was drowning in it. That accursed color was the only thing she could see. She tried desperately to swim to the surface, but the red liquid was too thick, sinking her. But she was so close to the surface. She could see it. As she reached out, she knew it was hopeless. There was no way she could keep going; she had no strength left, so she was going to drown here. It was useless to keep trying. Maybe it was time to give, to let go.

_"Please Maria! Hang in there, aru! Don't die on me just yet!" _She did not know where the voice came from, but it was very familiar. It was of a higher pitch, yet still a male's voice with a quaint accent.

_"Stay vith us, Maria! I know you can do it!" _Another bodiless voice, this time a bit more commanding. His voice also had its own heavy accent, only deeper and forceful.

"_Ve! Don't give up! Please don't!" _A third voice echoed in her head, hopeful and encouraging.

"_Don't you dare give up, Maria! You made a promise, remember? You can't leave us!" _This last voice…she knew it so well yet could not match a face with it. A promise? His words sparked something inside her. She struggled through the dense liquid around her with renewed force, kicking her legs furiously, doing everything she could to break the surface. Using every last bit of energy she had left, she finally reached the surface, and just as she emerged-

Slowly, Maria opened her eyes, but her vision was still blurry. She found herself in a sterile white hospital room on top of a fluffy, comfortable bed. Yawning involuntarily, she groaned as she stretched her limps. Her whole body still ached, but her wounds had been numbed down. After she rubbed her eyes, Maria saw that she was not alone. Yao, Ludwig, Feliciano, and Kiku stood around her bed, smiling down at her and patiently waiting for her to become fully awake. "Hey guys," Maria croaked.

Her friends seemed to have been holding their breaths, waiting for her to speak to be absolutely sure she was alright. Now that she did, all four of them lit up.

"Ve! She pulled through! What did I tell you?" Feliciano burst out, unable to keep quiet any longer. He jumped up and down in excitement, even though he was still on crutches. In his cheerfulness he forgot about his broken leg. Maria had not seen him so happy ever since they fell through the portal, and she was glad to see him act like his old self again.

"Yeah, you vere right, Feli. She made it," Ludwig halfsmiled, also in a good mood. Things felt like they should be, with Feliciano at his side, ignorantly blissful as usual. He tried to calm his Italian friend down, scolding him for putting pressure on his injury, but his tone was light and relaxed.

"You really gave us quite the scare, aru," Yao grinned, "We weren't sure if you were going to make it with that nasty wound in your side." The Chinese nation looked relieved to see Maria conscious again. He must have been the one to fix her up, and it was a miracle he was able to save her.

"We were worried sick, but I knew you were strong enough to make it," Kiku beamed, overjoyed at her recovery. At this, Maria gave him a brilliant smile. They had all been there for her. It was their voices she had heard in her delusion. But that last voice, the one that had given her the determination to keep fighting to survive, that was Kiku's, she was sure of it.

"Of course," she replied jovially. "I made a promise to stay alive, didn't I? I can't believe you doubted me." That last part she added as a small joke, but her friends' faces grew serious.

"Maria," Yao asked sullenly, "I need to know what happened. We all know how the battle ended, but whatever happened between you, Prussia, and the other Philippines is unknown to everybody. There are several theorized scenarios already, but I'm to report your story to the Vertex Union in the next meeting."

Maria's throat went dry as she relived the memory, but she did as Yao asked and told him everything that happened after she stepped in to defend Kiku from Dark Prussia. Everyone else was silent, listening intently with grave expressions on their faces.

"That's...terrible," was all Yao could bring himself to say once she was finished. There was a moment of heavy silence before he continued, "Well, thanks for telling me, Maria, I'll be sure to report your whole story to the Vertex Union." Then he beckoned to Feliciano. "Come on, Feliciano, we need to get to the conference room right away." The Italian nodded, grabbed his crutches, and the two quietly left the room.

"So how did the battle end? From the looks of it, seems the Vertex Union won, but what happened?" asked Maria. What she really wanted to know was if any of their friends perished in battle, but she was afraid to ask. Ludwig left the battlefield without any serious wounds, but Kiku had bandages wrapped around his forehead where Dark Prussia had struck him. At least he was still conscious. A blow like that could have put him in a coma.

"Well, while you, and the other Prussia and Philippines disappeared, the other Britain was defeated by Arthur and Alfred, both of whom aren't hurt too bad, but Dark America broke his leg. Ivan walked away from his fight, so he's unscathed for the most part. The other Greece was able to beat Turkey, and once Alfred got back, he was able to help the other China defeat the other Russia. As you saw, Feliciano broke his leg, but it will heal fairly quickly. Thanks to him, Lovino survived, but he's bruised all over. The other Italy was severely injured in his head and was taken to the emergency room as soon as the battle was over. Even though Gilbert beat the other Austria, he surrendered peacefully. The other Japan was the only Genesis still fighting, and the Vertex Union forced him to surrender as well," Kiku informed her. When he was done, Maria exhaled in relief. All of her friends were still alive and not permanently injured! Even she would recover eventually. So far everyone's promises were being kept. Now they needed to focus on returning home...

"So what happens now?" she inquired, frowning. Could they even get back to their own dimension? If not, then it would have all been for nothing.

"Ve're not exactly sure..." Ludwig trailed off. "Vhen ve surrendered, the Vertex Union locked up the other Japan, Russia, and Britain, but they veren't sure vhat to do vith us. After ve found you, you vere immediately sent to this hospital, and Kiku and I vere allowed to come too because Feliciano and Yao vouched for us, but Ivan, Gilbert and Arthur are on house arrest at the conference building. I'm sure they are being treated alright though. Even ve are being vatched." He gestured to the top corner of the room where a security camera surveyed them at all times. But Maria supposed that was understandable. They had been on the Genesis Powers in the war, and the Vertex Union was probably very confused skeptical of them. At least they were not being locked up in a prison cell. No doubt the Genesis Powers would have been much crueler if they had won.

* * *

Yao and Feliciano were the last to be seated at conference table. All the other Vertex Union nations were already in a heated discussion, but the room fell silent when the Chinese and Italian nations entered. The atmosphere was serious and frustrated, Yao could tell.

"Welcome back, Yao," Dark America greeted, yet his tone was strained. The American had not seen Yao since he was brought back from the Russian prison cell as soon as the war was won.

"We need to decide this today!" pressed Dark Spain, who was clearly angry and upset.

"You know if it was the other way around, the Genesis would have us killed," Dark China pointed out. Yao sighed. So they were still deciding the fate of their enemies. Apparently they had been debating this whole time.

"I know, that's why we should give them a taste of their own medicine!" exclaimed Dark Austria, while Dark Spain nodded in agreement. Dark America looked uncertain, internally torn between his conscience and his revenge. But Alfred spoke up.

"You can't just kill them! That makes you just as bad. Think about it! You'd only add more murder and violence to this world. It has to stop or this Earth will be divided forever!" the American objected. Yao smiled to himself. Sometimes Alfred could be levelheaded after all.

"Be quiet!" Dark Spain growled, "This isn't your world, so you don't have a say in this!"

"Actually, I think I have a right to speak," argued Alfred, "I risked my life to fight in this war just like the rest of you. Look, Spain, I understand why you're so angry, but Prussia and Germany are both dead. Isn't that enough?" Still scowling, Dark Spain leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest, but he did not respond.

"I think..." Dark America began slowly, forming his thoughts into words, "that Alfred has a point. There's been more than enough death on both sides." He paused, his expression sullen. "Six nations dead because of this damn war."

"But they're the ones who initiated this war!" protested Dark China, "We didn't kill any of those nations, the Genesis did!" Dark France, Spain, and Austria nodded, concurring with him.

"You're right," Feliciano piped up, voice confident, "We didn't kill them, but do you want to start now? After we've already won?"

"I actually agree Feli," Antonio said thoughtfully. "Say we did decide to execute the prisoners," he continued hypothetically, but using ugly words on purpose, "which one of you guys is willing to take their lives?" Another dead silence filled the room, and no one answered his question. Nobody wanted to be responsible for something like that.

"See? No one wants to do it with their own hands, but if we condemned them here, it's virtually the same thing," Alfred claimed, lips set straight, eyes moving across the room, daring someone to argue.

"You don't understand. You're too naive. If we let then off the hook too easily, they'll just recover and attack all over again. Our pity after World War I allowed World War II to happen, and even after that we were too lenient. It's time we took a different approach already," Dark China spat. Everyone mulled over his words for a moment, and then Dark Austria broke the silence.

"Let's just vote on it already. We've just been going around in circles. It's time we decided. Vote yes if you are in favor of the...ultimate punishment for Britain, Russia and Japan and no if you are in favor of leniency. Since Alfred made a point that the dimension hoppers also shed their blood for our cause, they too deserve the right to vote." Everyone agreed to that last part and nodded their heads, signaling their cooperation. Then Dark Austria began the voting, "I vote yes, for Hungary."

"I also vote yes," Dark Spain announced, "And Italy does too, but he's in the hospital at he moment."

"You can't vote for him! He needs to say it," objected Alfred.

"He told me on the way to hospital. He wanted the Genesis to pay, the way his brother did," Dark Spain explained.

"Yeah that's the truth," Dark America confirmed, "I was there too."

"Well, I vote no," Alfred crossed his arms over his chest ad huffed indignantly.

"I'm with Alfred," Antonio declared, earning a glare from his counterpart.

"Me too," Feliciano voted.

"I say yes. Their atrocities cannot be forgiven," Dark China seethed, "My homeland has been devastated because of them."

"I was invaded too, and I also vote yes because of it," Dark Greece agreed. Even though he had not originally signed with the Vertex Union, Dark America let him participate in the meeting since his country was one of the most ravaged.

"I vote yes too," Dark France said, "Do you agree?" He looked expectantly at his counterpart, but Francis shook his head.

"I'm voting no. I don't want anyone else to die, even if they are the enemies. At one point in our lives, we've all done something considered evil, I'd say." Yao was honestly surprised at the Frenchman's mature statement. Perhaps even he underestimated his fellow nations.

"I say no," Lovino said, siding with his boss. Antonio gave him a small smile, but Dark Spain grimaced as the Italian spoke, as if it hurt something inside him.

Then Yao realized he had not voiced his opinion yet and spoke up, "I also vote no." He knew that this is exactly what Maria would vote since she made herself clear that she detested unnecessary death, and Yao felt obliged to side with her after all she had been through. Even though Maria had been on the Genesis, he thought she deserved a spot in this meeting; she had almost died trying to protect her friends and killed Dark Prussia. But sadly, none of the Dark Nations of the Vertex Union felt that way.

The vote was now tied. Six nations for yes and six for no. Dark America was the last to put forth his vote, and all eyes were on him. But he refused to meet anyone else's eyes. Uncertainty was written all over his face as he bit his lip, mulling over his choices. The decision to end someone's life was not an easy one, not even for Dark America, who wanted to make those who dared hurt his brother pay. Did they deserve to die? Dark Japan, Russia, and Britain all had a hand in Dark Canada's torment and suffering, and probably did not lose any sleep over it. They probably hoped the Canadian would die of his injuries. Yes, it was all their fault. The Genesis are the ones who initiated this wretched war. They brought this on themselves. Dark America opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off when the double doors at the end of the room flung open.

At first, Yao saw nothing, but after looking closer, he saw the two Canadian counterparts standing there in the doorway. For a moment, no one said a word, and Yao guessed everyone was either still in shock at the sudden interruption or still trying to make out who had opened the doors, or both.

"C-Canada," Dark America stuttered, finally saying something. "What are you doing here? You should be in the hospital!"

"Yay, they can actually see us!" cheered Matthew quietly as his counterpart smiled at his brother. Dark Canada looked a lot better than he did last week, but his skin was still pale and gaunt. His eyes seem tired and overall the Canadian just appeared worn out, but that was a great improvement, considering he had almost been killed by the bombings. However, his expression was hopeful, as if he were just happy to be alive.

"Ever since you won the war, I've felt so much better! Can't keep me locked up in the infirmary forever, eh? But anyway, we were listening on the other side of the doors since you wouldn't let me participate in the meeting," explained Dark Canada to Dark America. "We heard the whole debate. Please don't do it brother! I'm still here with you, so you don't need to have your revenge! The nations that killed our allies are already dead. No more killing, please." His voice was sincere as he pleaded for Dark America to make the right decision.

"Canada..." Dark America was in shock. He had been about to vote yes, but now how could he? To ignore his brother...didn't he go to war for him? Dark America owed it to Dark Canada, he knew, especially after all the pain he had been through. He sighed, then returned the small smile. "If that's what you want, then I vote no."

Almost immediately, Dark Spain stood up and slammed his fist on the table. "How could you guys just let them go so easily? After all they've done to us! They don't deserve to walk away with their lives! Don't you care about those who lost their lives trying to defeat them? WELL, DON'T YOU? The Genesis tried to take everything away from us!" During his apoplectic outburst, tears sprung into his eyes, but his voice was still full of rage and pain as well. The Spaniard was breathing heavily, but when someone put a hand on his shoulder, his expression changed to surprise and when he turned around, Lovino was next to him, giving him a sad smile.

"Time to let the other Romano rest in peace, don't you think, tomato bastard?" Lovino spoke with surprising sincerity and gentleness. Even if this was not his boss, he hated to see the Spaniard so shaken and distraught. At his words, Dark Spain met his eyes and fell back down into his seat, unable to hold back his tears. With his hands over his face, he broke down into mournful sobs as Lovino patted his back softly. While everyone else looked away, knowing they were not meant to see this, Dark America called for a short break.

It took a few minutes for the Spaniard to compose himself again, but once he signaled he was ready with a nod, Lovino returned to his seat next to Antonio, who gave him a look that shone with pride. Lovino pretended not notice Antonio's gesture, but he really did feel a lot better.

"Okay, so majority vote was leniency," began Dark America, "But we aren't going to just let them off the hook. The other option we discussed earlier was much like the punishment after World War II, except instead of dividing up the Genesis nations, each will be put under strict surveillance by our officials and monthly check ins by us in the Vertex Union personally. Of course, there is also the reparation debt as well, but that can be negotiated later. And for sure they will be demilitarized. But we need to discuss what to do about their counterparts."

Suddenly Yao got out of his seat, and Alfred did as well, followed by Feliciano. "What do you mean? There's nothing to discuss, aru. They're coming home with us."

"Yeah," supported Alfred, "They are coming back safe and sound, end of story."

"All of them," stressed Feliciano, "Ludwig, Maria, Kiku, Gilbert, Arthur, and Ivan, too."

"I know they're your friends, but they were on the Genesis Powers! They fought for their damn cause," frowned Dark America.

"Yes, they cannot just go free," agreed Dark China. "While they did surrender peacefully, they also helped invade various countries."

"You don't understand!" protested Yao, "They had completely different motives than what it appears to be, aru. They even turned against the Genesis in the end. Kiku slew the other Germany, and as Alfred said, Arthur defied the other Britain. Maria even killed the other Prussia!" His ardent words rendered the others speechless until his last sentence.

"What?" exclaimed pretty much the rest of the room when Yao mentioned what Maria had done. The others had assumed that Dark Prussia and Philippines had been killed by a stray bomb, or some other freak accident, and that Maria had been injured the same way. That's when Yao realized that he had forgotten to report what Maria had told him. Before anyone else could yell at him, he began retelling everything in Maria's story starting from when Kiku killed Dark Germany. No one said a word while he was talking and by the time he was done, his fellow nations just stared at him in disbelief.

While everyone else was still processing the information, Dark America halfsmiled, "Well, I guess that means we actually owe them."

* * *

Maria tapped her foot nervously as she waited in front the giant glass window of an interrogation room, in which Dark Japan and Dark America were in the midst of a hostile conversation behind the window. Ludwig and Kiku stood on either side of her—they had been freed of all charges shortly after the Vertex Union meeting, along with Gilbert, Ivan, and Arthur. Alfred was there as well, and so was Feliciano, who stayed by his best friend's side. All of them were frustrated as they watched an irked Dark America try to force information about parallel worlds out of Dark Japan through the thick glass. After a few tense minutes, Dark America's voice rose to a shout and he stormed out of the room separated by the glass and into the one where they waited.

"Someone else go try to deal with him. I can't stand him anymore! If I stay in there any longer I won't be able to control myself," Dark America muttered through gritted teeth. He was still enraged by Dark Japan's attack on his brother, Dark Canada's previous condition still lingering in his mind.

"Maria, you go try," Kiku suggested.

"Me?" Maria inquired, shaking her head. "Why me?"

"If anyone here can do it, it'd be you," Kiku encouraged, "Besides, I don't think he'll even talk to me."

"Alright, I'll try," Maria sighed and stepped into the interrogation room. She took a seat at a small metal table, facing Dark Japan, who scowled bitterly. The room was lit by a single light bulb above them, and other than the table and the two chairs, it was empty. There was a hidden microphone that recorded their conversation so that those on the other side of the glass could hear them as well.

"You're nothing but a filthy traitor," he growled at her, rattling the handcuffs that chained his wrists together. Maria said nothing and kept a cool head. Another moment passed, and she still did not answer, so he insulted her again. "By betraying the Genesis, you have proven yourself to be disloyal and dishonorable!"

"Don't talk to me about honor," she finally repudiated, softly but firmly. "You've already shown me that you have none. You viciously attacked a nation who was already weak, who couldn't defend himself."

"But at least I stay loyal to my cause! I hear you killed Prussia, and he was your ally! And you probably killed the Philippines, didn't you?" snarled the Japanese nation.

"I did kill Prussia, but I didn't kill her too. I thought you the one who came up with the parallel universe principles. I can't harm my counterpart, remember? So don't be stupid." While keeping herself calm and cool, her voice never wavered as she spoke. "Prussia was the one who killed her. She died trying to help me."

"You're lying! She was my loyal general…" He paused, considering the truth in Maria's words. Then he grinded his teeth, unable to find any other possibility that made sense. "If she died helping you, then she was a traitor as well. She got what she deserved."

His cruelty made Maria snap. She remembered her counterpart dying before her, and suddenly she lost her temper. Jumping to her feet, she began shouting angrily. "That's all you have to say? You don't even care that she's dead? You bastard! You didn't deserve to have her as a general at all! I was right, you have no honor."

"Be quiet, I won't listen to a stupid girl like you give me a lecture about honor. I know what you want. You want me to use my research about parallel worlds to send you and your damn friends home. But I'm not going to do it! I'll never help any of you! I'll die before any of the Vertex Union or you traitors can make me build you a machine!"

Maria had had enough. Without another word, she left the room with clenched fists. This Japan was truly heartless. How could he say that about the nation who had been by his side for so long? Kiku was nothing like him, and Maria found she was extremely thankful he wasn't.

"What are we going to do? How are we going to get home? I don't think he'll ever help us…" Feliciano murmured, disheartened.

"There's no way he'll help us willingly. The only way we could force him to is if we tortured him…" Dark America trailed off.

"No, we aren't going to torture him," Maria shook her head. That would make them just as low. But now what? They were stranded…

Out of nowhere, Dark Canada burst into the room, panting. "America! You'll never guess who's here!" he exclaimed once he caught his breath. He moved out of the doorway, and in walked two short, gray creatures.

"There's two Tonys?" Dark America uttered, flabbergasted. One of the gray creatures came up to Alfred, who wore a wide grin.

"Is that you, Tony? You're the one from my Earth, right?" asked Alfred excitedly. The little alien gave his American friend a thumbs up as he nodded. Then Tony began talking to Alfred in his strange alien language, while everyone else just stared in shock, not believing this turn of events.

When Tony was done, Kiku stuttered, "W-well, what does he say?"

Alfred laughed cheerfully, and then summed up the gist of his alien's story, "He says that after we fell into the portal at the science competition, he went in after us, but ended up next to his counterpart on his ship in space, near Jupiter! Tony tried to convince his counterpart to go back to Earth to help us, but the other Tony didn't wanna get caught in the crossfire of the war. But now that the war's over, they came back! Isn't that awesome?" By the time he was done translating, everyone else was gawking at the two aliens. Tony just gave them another thumbs up while his counterpart—who Maria supposed was Dark Tony—nodded, confirming the story. _No freaking way…_Maria thought in incredulity.

But Tony was not finished talking just yet. Alfred continued to act as interpreter, "Guys! Get this: while these two little guys were in space waiting for the war to end, they were building another dimension hopping machine so we could get home! It's in his ship right now! He says that time and space are connected because of some continuum principle or whatever, so when we return home, he can enter in the calculations making it so that it will be like we were only gone a few minutes from our Earth! Wicked, huh?"

"…Seriously?" Ludwig blinked, not really sure what else to say.

"So we can go home now?" Maria asked skeptically, making sure it was the truth before she got her hopes up. So the war had to end before they could leave this universe? Of course…

"Yep!" Alfred laughed again as he high-fived his gray friend.

* * *

The two aliens had just finished entering their calculations into the new machine archway when all of the dimension hoppers had gathered where they had landed their space ship. A single day had passed since they landed on this Earth, and it was all the time they needed to make any final tweaks with the machine. Maria almost could not believe it; after all this time, they were actually going home! Dark America and Canada had come to see them off, and so had Dark Lithuania, who, after Dark Russia's defeat, had been given more freedom for the time being.

"Thanks for all your help," Maria said graciously as she shook Dark Lithuania's hand.

"I should be the one thanking you," he replied, just as sincere.

"Just take care of yourself, okay?"

"You do, too." He gave her a warm smile, and she returned the gesture. Then he stepped back, and Dark Tony began pushing buttons on the control panel. The machine sparked, and then emitted a brilliant purplish-pinkish light that filled the archway as it did before.

"I'm going in before any of you can push me this time," mutter Arthur as he came up to the portal. Ivan chuckled and followed him along with Yao. The three of them stepped through the archway, disappearing into the bright light. Next, Antonio, Romano, and France phased through the portal, and then Gilbert, Ludwig and Feliciano. After Matthew departed, Maria and Kiku also entered the archway. Alfred and Tony were the last ones to leave, and before stepping through the portal, Alfred looked back one last time to meet Dark America's eyes. With that trademark grin of his, Alfred saluted his counterpart, who did the same, and jumped into the light.

* * *

From the Author: Wow, everything's all wrapped up! Oh, wait, no its not! It can't be if there's one more chapter! Haha cuz everyone loves epilogues! Anyways, I hope this chapter made sense and was riveting in its own way. I can't believe I have so many reviews! I broke 50! That's a huge milestone that I couldn't have reached without my awesome reviewers! I love you guys so much :) Honestly, I didn't think anyone would like this fanfic when I first had the idea to write this, but I'm glad I was wrong! I was able to keep going because of all your support, so thanks again!

**Firihon and USUK FTW: **I'm super glad you liked it! Judging by your name, I'm guessing you'll like my epilogue ;) Thanks a bunch!

**Hinata28h: **Thanks! :D

**PridexWretchedluver4ever: **You practically predicted this chapter ;) Thanks and nice call!

**chibibeanie: **Well wait no further! Thanks for the reviews! :P

**CJWrites: **Great! Chocolate chip please! :P Haha thanks!

**Juusan13: **Thanks sooo much! You're too kind :D and yes, that's from chapter 1, good eye!

**Luna Espejo: **Wow! I never thought anyone would really like this fanfic, as I said earlier, and I'm sooo happy that you liked it so much! I hope this ending was satisfying at the least! :) Thanks for everything! It means a lot!

**Sola: **I so totally appreciate your review! It made me laugh, so thanks for making my day! Yes, that part was from chapter 1! Thanks for all the support :D

**NinjaRoll: **I can't thank you enough for all the reviews you've given me :) I'm glad you were able to connect with the characters, as a writer, that makes me feel great! So here's another gracious thanks: Thank you!

**itgirl18: **I'm glad everything lived up to your expectations! Thanks, your words always help!

**Maximilliminute: **Yay! Good to know my story turned out as gripping as I'd hope, so thanks for letting me know :) You're also awesome!

THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HAS REVIEWED AND READ THIS ALL THE WAY THROUGH! I just love you guys so much, you don't even know. So please, accept the epilogue as a token of my appreciation :D


	14. Chapter 14: Epilogue

Disclaimer: So yeah, I still don't Hetalia. But I guess I can say that wintercandyapple owns this plot and her OC! Cool. :P

Note: Well, this is it! The very last update of Double Vision: To the Darker Side of Me. Thanks again for all the support! Thanks for reviewing, favoriting, alerting and even just reading this far! Since I uploaded this along with the last chap, feel free to review both, or just one if you'd like. But anyways, enjoy this last little piece of writing! It has been my pleasure writing for all of you, you've all been a great audience! This had been wintercandyapple, your humble writer. Over and out!

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**Chapter 14: Epilogue**

Maria was in high spirits as she walked into the German conference room. Most of the other nations were already seated, but there was an open chair next to Kiku, and she beamed as she met his eyes, knowing he had saved it especially for her. As she made her way to her seat, Alfred entered the room, being the last to show up, which was saying a lot since all the nations had been invited and most accepted the invitation. Across the table from Maria sat Toris (Lithuania), who looked flustered as he tried to calm down Feliks (Poland), who was showing off his new pink blazer. Unsure whether to laugh or cry, Maria just exhaled, trying to hold the memories back. A few seats over, Erika (Liechtenstein) spoke quietly with Vash (Switzerland), who appeared aloof as usual, but Maria knew better. When she realized that it was Elizaveta (Hungary) who sat on her right, Maria could not stop herself from giving her a surprise hug.

"Oh!" Elizaveta said, "Didn't see that coming. Thanks, Maria, but what's the hug for?"

"Oh nothing really," Maria replied, "I just needed one." The Hungarian's expression softened and she hugged back.

"Well you came to the right nation!"

"Okay, time to begin vith the meeting!" demanded Ludwig, silencing all other side conversations. He began listing global problems, and calling on anyone who raised their hand to give a meaningful suggestion, trying to find any reasonable solutions. While the overall atmosphere of the meeting was lighthearted, Maria noticed how cooperative everyone was being. She was amazed how sane Alfred stayed, or attempted to stay, and Arthur did not argue with Francis once. When someone came up with a stupid answer, Ludwig just waved them off, but did not demean them. Even Feliciano managed to keep his topic away from pasta. It was because they were all sick of arguing and fighting, Maria realized. Even though nothing was really accomplished by the conference, the fact that it did not dissolve after fifteen minutes was a feat in itself. Then Alfred took a turn holding everyone's attention.

"Okay dudes, I just want to reestablish some basic human rights with this little document here," he began, showing the nations the packet of papers he held. On the very last page, there was a place for all the nations to sign. "So if everyone would just sign, agreeing to these accords…" The document was passed around, and soon the last page was almost filled with signatures. By the time Maria put down her own name, her heart swelled with pride for her friends. She was so glad that this Earth was her home.

When Yao finished signing his name, he handed Alfred back the accords, saying, "You have it in there that rack torture is forbidden, right?"

"Da, it's there, I checked," Ivan answered for Alfred.

"And I double checked," Kiku confirmed.

"Then I guess that means I tripled checked," Maria giggled. The look of relief on Yao's face was priceless. Then she couldn't help herself. Suddenly she burst out laughing, for the sake of just laughing. She let all the tension leave her body and all the worries leave her mind. Startled, Kiku fell out of his seat at her random laughing fit. That was it. Alfred could not control his own guffaws and Gilbert cracked up. Yao, Feliciano, Matthew and Antonio also began to laugh as well, while Francis gave his trademark "honhonhon" as Ivan and Arthur chuckled. Even Ludwig and Lovino cracked a smile when Kiku sat up, embarrassed, but still wearing a small smile at his own blunder. All of the other nations stared at them, confused at Maria's initial uncontrollable giggles.

"O-okay guys," Alfred said, still catching his breath from laughing so hard, "Now that the official business is over, I'd like to announce that I'm holding a party at my place this Friday! And all of you are invited!" Almost everyone's faces lit up in delighted smiles. They all knew that the American knew how to throw a good party, and it was rare that ALL of them were invited at once.

"What's the occasion?" asked Roderich (Austria), who was still puzzled.

"Hmm…" replied Alfred, not sure what to say, since they had not told anyone else about their recent adventure, "It's for my first place in the International Science Competition!"

"Like I said earlier, you wanker, you can't award yourself first place!" Arthur said angrily.

"Suck it, dude! You're just jelly," Alfred stuck his tongue out. To her surprise, Maria had never been happier that they were back to normal and bickering again. Better than waging a war any day.

* * *

Maria had to admit, Alfred sure knew how to have a good time. The party was held at an enormous mansion, with the entire ballroom decked out with strobe lights and an awesome DJ. The music playlist was a bit odd, but that's because the nations had put in requests for their own type of music, so the songs seemed to be a random mix of genres from different cultures. But nobody really cared. They just danced to the beat and enjoyed the party like they should. Francis was busy wooing all the ladies and rubbing it in Arthur's face, while Ivan was busy avoiding Natalia (Belarus), who persistently demanded to have a dance with him. Erika was trying to pull Vash onto the dance floor while he shot daggers with his eyes at anyone who tried to hit on his sister. Feliciano enjoyed the food while Ludwig sipped his beer. Gilbert was trying to show Alfred up with his awesome dance moves. Maria was having a wonderful time herself. But after spending a few songs with her Asian neighbors, she needed some fresh air.

Sipping a glass of punch, she made her way to the wide balcony with a white marble railing. The sun was about the set, leaving a beautiful orangy-pink tinge in the sky. She stayed like that for a moment, staring off into the sunset and leaning on the rail, until someone came up next to her. Kiku did not say a word, just leaned on the rail with her and smiled. Maria tried to force herself not to stare, but in his sleek suit and with his hair fixed so nicely, it was hard not to. What was harder was forcing herself not to blush. Then she thought back to when he had saved her on that beach. As she recalled that memory, more memories surfaced to her mind, and she grew sad.

"Sometimes, I just want to say that everything that happened on that Earth was a dream, but the images are too vivid, too real for it to be just a dream," Maria murmured softly.

"I've been thinking about it too," Kiku said, "But we're home now. We did it."

"I know, and I happy, don't get me wrong," she tried to explain, "But I can't seem to forget everything that happened."

"Do you want to forget?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course I want to forget!" When she realized she had shouted, she looked away, a little ashamed that she had gotten hysterical in front of him. With her voice lowered, she continued, looking down at her hands, "I-I killed someone...I shouldn't have done it. I didn't want to kill him. But there was nothing else I could do. Now I'm just as bad as him. Now I'm a monster."

"No!" Kiku looked her in the eyes to show how serious he was, "Don't say that. You're not a monster. You had to do it. It was justified."

"You don't understand," Maria shook her head.

"Yes, I do. Don't forget that I killed someone too. But I don't regret it. If I hadn't killed him, he would have killed one of our friends. Then I would have never forgiven myself for letting that happen. And I don't want to forget what happened in that world," he said gently, "I don't want to forget who it was that saved my life." At this, Maria glanced up, shocked. But this time it was Kiku who broke eye contact nervously. "Look, Maria. I have to tell you something. When they brought you back from the Greek city, there was so much blood. I-I thought you weren't going to make it. I thought I'd lost you. That's when I...I realized...how much I..." His voice grew shaky, and Maria could not believe this was happening to her. But he struggled to explain what he was trying to say. "If you don't feel the same way, I understand," he tried again, "but I just need you to know-"

His sentence was cut off when Maria wrapped his tie around her hand and pulled him into a passionate kiss. Her whole body tingled at the overwhelming sensation as he kissed back, caressing her cheek. It was what she had been waiting for all this time, and it was well worth the wait. The only reason she pulled back when she did was because she could no longer breathe. When she opened her eyes, he did as well, giving her that perfect smile of his with red cheeks.

"Very nice!" Both Kiku and Maria turned around at the Frenchman's voice. They were all standing there, every nation who had gone through the portal with her, with ridiculous grins on their faces.

"Finally! They're so adorable!" gushed Feliciano, causing Maria to blush like crazy.

"Is there no privacy?" she exclaimed.

"Good job, dude," Alfred said as he patted Kiku on the back.

"Yeah, get some, Kiku!" Gilbert cheered, whooping with laughter.

"You're all immature..." Kiku replied, sighing.

"I'll say," Maria muttered as Yao and Matthew chuckled. That's when she heard the DJ play a slow song. Finally, an excuse to get away from the balcony. She grabbed Kiku by the wrist and led him to the dance floor. "This is one of my favorite songs!" she giggled as she pushed past her nosy friends.

As he put his hands on her waist, she draped hers on his shoulders and rested her head on his chest, moving to the music tenderly. When she lifted her head in the middle of the song, she leaned into his ear, whispering, "I won't forget, promise."

"I promise I won't either," he whispered back, then met her eyes once again before pulling her into another sweet kiss. When he kissed her, everything else faded away. It was just the two of them. And she loved it that way.

Maria knew that peaceful times like these didn't last forever. Maybe tomorrow, another war would spring up. Maybe tomorrow, they would be fighting for their lives again. But that didn't matter. All that mattered was right here and right now, this moment. Because these were the moments worth fighting for.

* * *

_War doesn't determine who's right- only who's left. _

_-Bertrand Russel_


End file.
